district-spotlight
Cape Cod Has Lost Nearly 40% of Its Students
Cape Cod school enrollment has fallen from 30,970 to 18,925 since 1999, nearly six times the state's rate of decline, as vacation homes replace year-round families.
Massachusetts Education News & Data
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special-populations
One in Five Massachusetts Students Now Receives Special Education
Massachusetts special education hit an all-time high of 21.3% in 2025-26 as the state added 27,158 students to IEP rolls while overall enrollment fell.
demographics
Black Enrollment Hits All-Time High as Diaspora Reshapes Gateway Cities
Massachusetts Black enrollment reached 93,651 in 2026, an all-time record, driven by Haitian immigration into gateway cities even as Boston lost 3,057 Black students since 2019.
enrollment
Massachusetts Sits 490 Students Above 900,000
Massachusetts enrollment fell to 900,490 in 2026, the lowest level since 1995 and just 490 students above a threshold the state hasn't breached in more than three decades.
school-choice
One in 19 Massachusetts Students Now Attends a Charter School
Charter enrollment grew 11% since 2019 while traditional public schools lost 55,933 students. The gap widened during COVID and never closed.
demographics
White Students at 50.8%, One Year from Minority
Massachusetts white enrollment share has fallen every year for 33 years, from 79.3% to 50.8%. At the current pace, the state crosses below 50% in 2027.
district-spotlight
Boston Hits All-Time Low, Down 30% in Three Decades
Boston Public Schools enrolled 44,416 students in 2026, its lowest total in 33 years of data. The district has lost 19,346 students since its 1998 peak.
covid-impact
Four Years of Recovery, Gone in One
Massachusetts lost 15,442 students in 2025-26, erasing all post-COVID gains and pushing enrollment 10,975 below the pandemic trough to a 31-year low.
enrollment
Massachusetts Publishes 2025-26 Enrollment Data
DESE releases 2025-26 enrollment data showing 900,490 students statewide — down 15,442, erasing four years of post-COVID recovery in a single year.