Newton Public Schools showed consistently strong performance across test scores, attendance and other academic indicators—despite continued racial disparities among minority student groups—in an annual report published for the 2025-2026 school year. 

The report has been released near the end of the academic year for the past few years as a way to highlight growth in the district as well as point out areas for improvement. The report was officially announced at a school committee meeting on April 29. 

“I am acutely aware that many in our community are asking hard and fair questions: Are Newton Public Schools delivering results that justify the investment we make? Are we improving student outcomes in ways that are measurable, meaningful and equitable? This report is designed to answer those questions clearly and honestly,” Superintendent Anna Nolin said in the report’s introduction. 

The report is structured around the district’s Thrive 2030 plan, a roadmap with the goal of supporting and educating each student academically and socially. 

Newton has roughly 11,800 students enrolled in its public schools. According to the report, the district predicts that elementary school enrollment will increase slightly in the next few years, middle school enrollment will remain stable, and high school enrollment will drop slightly. The average class size across grade levels was between 19 to 21 students—a slight decrease from the past two years. 

The NPS student body has become slightly more diverse in recent years. Five years ago, 58% of students identified as White. In the 2025-2026 school year, this value had dropped to 52%. The percentage of students identifying as Hispanic/Latino, Asian or two or more races has grown slightly over the last few years, but the Black student population has remained at 5% for the last five years. The report notes that across the student body, 82 languages are spoken.

Student racial demographics at NPS for the last five school years. (Screenshot of FY26 Annual Report)

The staff population at NPS is less diverse, with nearly 85% identifying as White. The report noted that the percentage of staff who identify as Black and Latino increased from 4% to 6% and from 3% to 4%, respectively, between 2021 and 2025. Discrimination based on race, national origin and religion decreased for the second year, following a peak in the 2023-2024 school year. 

NPS boasts a four-year graduation rate of 96.6% and a dropout rate of about 0.3%, similar to peer districts including Needham, Wellesley and Brookline. Nearly 90% of graduating seniors planned to attend a four-year college, with the rest attending a two-year college, beginning military service or entering the workforce. In an end-of-year email newsletter, Newton North High School noted that 85% of its graduating class this year reported acceptance into one of their top three choices for college. 

Nearly 75% of students from Kindergarten to grade nine received proficient scores on Star Math and Star Reading tests. The report noted that 41% of students exceeded score expectations in math, compared to 29% in reading. Many Newton families enroll their children in extracurricular math tutoring programs such as the Russian School of Mathematics in order to help them get ahead in school and to supplement classroom instruction. 

However, broken down by race, the report showed that Black and Latino students scored significantly lower than their Asian, White and mixed-race peers on Star Math and Reading assessments last year. Only 37% of Black students and 48% of Latino students received proficient scores on the Star Math assessment. Black and Latino students also trailed behind in completion of advanced courses at the high school level.

Winter 2026 Star testing scores categorized by racial background of NPS students. (Screenshot of FY26 Annual Report)

In the last five years, more than 18% of NPS students have had individualized education programs (IEP) and about 7% have been English language learners. Students eligible for free or reduced price lunches have fluctuated between 15-18%. Recent Star testing scores for students in the first two categories were also significantly lower than those of the rest of the student body. 

Winter 2026 Star testing results for English language learners, METCO participants and students with IEPs. (Screenshot of FY26 Annual Report)

The report includes a section highlighting the district’s new Math Pathways program, which aims to offer more advanced math beginning at the middle school level and flexibility for students looking to switch between standard and accelerated math courses at any point in their academic career. The program became the subject of parent criticism in May after only one student at Bigelow Middle School qualified for the accelerated eighth grade math course.

The recent school year marked the sixtieth anniversary of Newton’s METCO program, a state-funded program that buses students from under-resourced neighborhoods in Boston and Springfield to public school systems in surrounding suburban metropolitan communities. Newton’s program is the largest, with more than 431 students or 3.1% of the student population enrolled across all 21 schools. 

The report also highlighted a number of awards won by the district. Student journalists at both Newton North High School and Newton South High School were named top high school journalists in New England. NNHS won the state gymnastics championship for the first time since 1972. The NSHS mock trial team won this year’s state championship. 

At the April school committee meeting, Nolin said putting together the report was a collaborative effort at the district’s central office, and thanked the previous and current school committee for their support. 

“We look forward to the community celebrating with us the results that we have gained in the past year—an overview of all the artifacts of our strategic plan and the intense progress of our students under our new MTSS implementation,” she said. “It’s now our job to get this in the hands of absolutely everyone in the city of Newton.” 

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) refers to the district’s framework for providing additional academic support to students who demonstrate a need for it. 

Read the full report here.