What percentage of students in Boston Public Schools are proficient in reading?
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About 31% of 4th graders and 26% of 8th graders were considered proficient in reading in 2024, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The NAEP, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, assesses 4th and 8th graders’ progress in reading and math approximately every two years.
31%
of Boston Public Schools 4th graders were proficient in reading in 2024
26%
of Boston Public Schools 8th graders were proficient in reading in 2024
The NAEP uses a scale of 0-500 points to group 4th and 8th students into three achievement levels (basic, proficient, or advanced). "Proficient" is the benchmark used to describe students who demonstrate competency with challenging subject matter. However, NAEP proficiency is not the same as being on "grade level," which is often assessed by other state and district tests. More information on NAEP skill expectations at each grade level is available here.
In 2024, 11% of 4th graders in Boston Public Schools were advanced in reading and 20% were proficient, which means that about 7 out of 10 (69%) scored at basic or below. In 8th grade, 74% scored at basic or below.
In Boston Public Schools, 4th grade reading proficiency scores in 2024 were lower than Massachusetts overall. 8th grade proficiency was also lower than the Massachusetts average.
In 2024, the percentage of Boston Public Schools 4th graders at a proficient or advanced reading level was lower than the Massachusetts average.
Percentage of students at each NAEP achievement level in 4th and 8th grade in 2024 in Boston Public Schools and Massachusetts
How has reading proficiency changed over time?
From this point onward, “proficiency” includes students who were at or above proficient in reading (proficient and advanced students).
Among 4th graders, reading proficiency was lower in Boston Public Schools than Massachusetts in every test year. Among 8th graders, reading proficiency was lower in Boston Public Schools than Massachusetts in every test year.
Data are available in Boston Public Schools beginning in 2003.
Boston Public Schools 4th graders had lower reading proficiency compared to Massachusetts in every test year
Percentage of 4th and 8th graders proficient in reading in Boston Public Schools, Massachusetts, and the US, 2003–2024
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How do Boston Public Schools students compare to other districts in reading proficiency?
The NAEP collected data in 25 other large urban school districts in 2024. Boston Public Schools had 45,742 students enrolled as of the 2023-24 school year, making it the second-smallest district in this sample.
Among 4th grade students, Boston Public Schools had the 10th-highest reading proficiency rate compared to other districts. It was 8 percentage points lower in proficiency than San Diego Unified School District, the district with the highest rate (39%).
Among 8th grade students, Boston Public Schools had the ninth-highest reading proficiency rate compared to other districts. It was 11 percentage points lower in proficiency than San Diego Unified School District, the district with the highest rate (37%).
Boston Public Schools is 10th-highest in 4th grade reading proficiency and ninth-highest in 8th grade among the 26 districts tested
Percentage of 4th and 8th graders in each district who were proficient in reading in 2024
Why is there data for Boston Public Schools but not all districts?
The NAEP randomly chooses public, private, and charter schools from across the country and in each state and Washington, DC to participate in testing. This random process ensures that the test scores from students in these schools represent how the US and each state are performing as a whole. In addition to national- and state-level reporting, for several years the NAEP has also administered the test to a random sample of schools within 26 of the nation's largest school districts in 2024, of which Boston Public Schools was one.
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
