Marblehead Public Schools has lost 26 students since the beginning of the school year, bringing enrollment to 2,363 as of Oct. 12, as district leaders look for ways to attract and retain families and strengthen academic performance.
The district began the 2026-27 school year with 2,389 students enrolled in its five schools. By Oct. 12, that number had dropped to 2,363.
Of the 26 students who left, nine transferred to private schools, 11 moved to other Massachusetts public schools, four moved out of state or the country, and two entered out-of-district placements.
The district also reported 20 homeschooled students and 47 students in out-of-district placements. Including those students brings the total for whom the district has responsibility to 2,430.
The largest decline since the beginning of the school year occurred at Brown School, which lost 11 students. Marblehead High School lost 10, Veterans and Glover each lost two, and Village lost one.
Robidoux attributed the broader enrollment challenges partly to demographic and housing trends, including declining birth rates, an aging population and limited housing options for young families.
He said long-term projections show little significant enrollment growth for most of the next decade unless conditions in town change.
Can free kindergarten attract more families?
One potential bright spot is the elimination of kindergarten tuition beginning next school year.
Currently, the district has 182 kindergarten students — 109 at Brown and 73 at Glover.
Robidoux said free kindergarten could encourage families who currently pay for private kindergarten to enroll their children in Marblehead’s public schools.
A 10% increase would bring approximately 18 additional students, which the district might be able to accommodate in existing classrooms. A 20% increase, or about 36 students, could require another classroom.
The superintendent emphasized that the projections are hypothetical and that the district will need to monitor actual enrollment.
Keeping students in Marblehead
District officials also discussed how to retain students as they move between schools, particularly from middle school to high school.
Robidoux said the district is working to better communicate what Marblehead High School offers, including athletics, music, the arts and specialized academic programs.
He described efforts to introduce middle school students to high school coaches and extracurricular opportunities so families have a fuller picture of what is available before considering other schools.
MCAS results show gains and challenges
The committee then reviewed student achievement data, including MCAS results, reading assessments and math progress measures.
Assistant Superintendent Julia Ferreira emphasized that MCAS represents only one measure of student achievement and that educators also use assessments such as i-Ready, IXL and DIBELS to identify learning needs and monitor progress.
At the elementary level, 87.1% of students in kindergarten through third grade were performing at or above grade level in reading at the end of the previous school year, according to i-Ready results.
Ferreira said those results reflect growth in reading comprehension, vocabulary, phonics and related literacy skills, although the assessment does not measure writing in the same way MCAS does.
Ferreira also highlighted growth in math skills and described how teachers use regular planning meetings to examine student performance, identify gaps and adjust instruction.
At the high school, the district has doubled the amount of dedicated collaborative planning time for teachers, although it remains less than what is available in kindergarten through eighth grade.
High school English scores raise concerns
One of the most troubling findings involved Marblehead High School’s 10th-grade English language arts MCAS results.
The percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations declined to 49% in 2026, down from 53% in 2025. The longer-term trend has also been downward.
District officials identified writing, particularly essays, as a major area of concern.
The decline comes after Massachusetts voters eliminated the MCAS graduation requirement in 2024. However, administrators acknowledged that Marblehead’s scores had begun falling before that change.
Officials said they intend to investigate whether the policy change affected student motivation, while also examining instruction, curriculum alignment and other possible explanations.
Teachers will be able to review student essays from the state assessment and compare them with classroom work to identify patterns and determine where additional instruction is needed.
Ferreira also discussed the importance of looking beyond MCAS to other measures, including PSAT, SAT and classroom assessments, to better understand whether the declines reflect broader academic weaknesses.
Committee members expressed interest in receiving another update before next year’s MCAS results.
Veterans Middle School posts strong gains
The news was more encouraging at Veterans Middle School.
Among eighth graders, 74% met or exceeded expectations in math, an increase of 16 percentage points. Science proficiency rose 14 points to 62%, while civics increased eight points to 66%.
In English language arts, 71% of eighth-graders met or exceeded expectations. Among seventh-graders, 59% met or exceeded expectations in English and 64% in math.
The school also reported strong student growth rankings compared with other Massachusetts schools.
Seventh-grade math growth ranked 15th statewide, while eighth-grade English language arts growth ranked 18th among approximately 297 schools.
Using the data to improve instruction
Ferreira and Robidoux said the district will continue using student performance data to guide instruction, identify students who need additional help and strengthen coordination among teachers.
The work includes reviewing curriculum alignment, expanding targeted academic interventions and examining the performance of student groups, including English learners and students with disabilities.
