Key points
- The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) publishes School and District Profiles and an annual report card for every public school and district.
- Report cards are organized into sections such as attendance and discipline, academic opportunities, college and career readiness, MCAS, spending and accountability.
- The accountability percentile compares a school with others giving similar tests, using three years of data. Schools are placed either as requiring assistance or intervention or as not requiring it.
- Start from your own questions, such as a program, a service or a schedule, and confirm the answer with the district. One number cannot tell you how a school fits a particular student.
Two official sites
School and District Profiles (profiles.doe.mass.edu) is DESE’s directory and data site. You can search for any public district or school, and its statewide reports cover assessment and accountability, educators, student enrollment and indicators, finance and high school outcomes, such as enrollment by grade, per pupil expenditure, MCAS results, attendance and discipline.
The report cards (reportcards.doe.mass.edu) present the same kind of information school by school in a fixed format. DESE describes them as a way for parents and community members to see how a school or district is doing in different areas. The Profiles directories also list private schools, but report cards cover public schools and districts.
What a report card contains
DESE organizes each report card into these sections. Read them as answers to specific questions, not as a verdict:
- Student enrollment and teacher information
- Student attendance and discipline
- Academic opportunities, such as access to the arts and advanced courses
- College and career readiness
- MCAS performance
- School spending, including per-pupil spending
- Accountability information
How the state accountability system describes a school
State and federal law require an accountability system. DESE’s indicators are achievement (MCAS in English language arts, math and science), student growth, high school completion, progress of English learners toward proficiency, chronic absenteeism (students missing 10% or more of their enrolled days) and, for high schools, completion of advanced coursework.
A school with enough data receives an accountability percentile from 1 to 99, calculated only at the school level and only against schools that give similar statewide tests. For 2026 results, DESE used three years of data (2024, 2025 and 2026) and weighted the most recent year most heavily. A small or new school may show insufficient data instead, which says nothing about how it performs. Schools and districts are then categorized as requiring assistance or intervention, or as not requiring it. DESE posts results each fall; the 2026 data were posted on its accountability page, last updated October 20, 2026.
Why one number cannot answer your question
A percentile is a relative position among schools on a set of measures, averaged over several years. It does not describe a particular classroom, a program your student needs, or how a school supports a student with a specific profile.
Write down what you actually need to know, then look for the part of the report card or the district’s own pages that speaks to it, and ask the district to confirm. For example:
- Which school offers the English learner program, special education service or course my student needs?
- How does transportation work from this address, and what are the start and end times?
- What before- and after-school options exist, and how do families sign up?
- Is any boundary, building or program change under review by the school committee?
How we handle school information
We point clients to these official sources and to the district’s registration office. We do not rate, rank or characterize schools or districts, and we do not suggest that any home or area suits a particular household. Homes are open to all qualified buyers and renters. If you want to compare schools, use DESE’s data and the district’s answers directly, and visit if the school offers tours.
General information about Massachusetts public school rules, current as of the date shown. School assignment is decided and confirmed only by the school district. No listing, seller, landlord or real estate agent can guarantee that an address is assigned to a particular school or that a student will be enrolled or admitted anywhere. Confirm with the district’s registration office, and ask an attorney about contract questions.