According to Boston Magazine, Winchester Public Schools are the 14th-ranked best public school system in Massachusetts. With an average student-teacher ratio of 13:1, a $12,801 budget for per-pupil spending, and a 96.9% graduation rate, one would think that Winchester is the perfect place to send your children. However, the success of Winchester Public Schools is not all that accurate or simple.
The data from the 2018 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assesment System (MCAS), or the state-wide standardized test, reveals that Winchester’s achievement gap between minorities and white, privileged students is extremely large. In some cases, the achievement gap in Winchester is worse than that of the Massachusetts state average.
At an initial glance of the English Language Arts MCAS in grades 3-8 passing rates in Winchester versus that of the state, it seems like Winchester is performing at a much higher level than the state (reference the graph below). While each individual subgroup in Winchester consistently outperforms Massachusetts state averages, the achievement gap is almost identical between different subgroups.
For example, Winchester’s achievement gap between non-low income and low-income students is equivalent to Massachusetts’ state average at 30 percentage points between the two groups. In Winchester, 81% of non-low income students either met or exceeded expectations, while only 51% of low-income students passed the exam. Similarly, in the state as a whole, there is a 30 point difference between non-low income and low-income students, with 62% of non-low income children passing the exam and 32% of low-income students passing the exam. While Winchester may have outperformed the state’s average in each individual area, the achievement gap between non-low income and low-income is just as significant. These statistics reveal that Winchester’s ranking as 14th in the state is not necessarily all it lives up to be.
Yet worse, the achievement gap between African-American and white students is even greater. In 2018, 78% percent of white students in Winchester either met or exceeded expectations. Only 38% of African-American students in Winchester passed the exam. Although the overall success of these groups exceeds Massachusetts’ average, the 40 point gap between white and African-American students is tremendous compared to the state. Comparatively, in the entire state of Massachusetts, 58% of all white students passed the ELA MCAS and 31% of African-Americans passed the exam. Despite the fact that the overall performance is lower, the gap between students is only 27 points.
While it is important for students to do well overall, it is equally important for all students to have the opportunity and support to perform at the same level. Winchester may seem like they have an extremely successful schooling system but it is much more complicated than just overall performance. Winchester must focus on decreasing the achievement gap and helping all students succeed at a similar rate.
Post by: Katharine Dougherty