About 54% of students at Rochester Memorial School scored a 500 or better on the 2025 MCAS for math, which is better than the school’s results in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo Courtesy Old Rochester Regional School District and MA Superintendency Union #55)
MATTAPOISETT — Superintendent Michael S. Nelson, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Shari Fedorowicz, Principal Heidi Letendre and Rochester School Committee Chairperson Kate Duggan are proud to share that students at the Rochester Memorial School helped put their school among only 63 across the state to reach or exceed pre-pandemic levels for grades three through eight in the 2025 MCAS test for Math or English.
Rochester Memorial School was honored recently by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Commissioner Pedro Martinez for reaching or exceeding benchmarks last achieved in 2019 for MCAS testing in grades three through eight. The school was presented a certificate of recognition for the achievement.
About 54% of students at Rochester Memorial School scored a 500 or better on the 2025 MCAS for math, meaning they reached the state’s “meeting expectations” results category. Among those are the 9% of Rochester Memorial School students who achieved a score of 530 or above, putting them in the category of “exceeding expectations.”
This is all an improvement from the school’s results in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, when 52% of students scored at least 500.
Statewide, MCAS math scores for 2025 among students in grades 3 through 8 were down 8 percentage points from pre-pandemic 2019 scores. Also, MCAS math scores statewide in 2025 showed no improvement from 2024.
Meanwhile, MCAS math scores for 2025 among students in grades 3 through 8 at Rochester Memorial School were up 7 percentage points from the school’s 2024 results, jumping from 47% of students “meeting” or “exceeding expectations” to 54%.
Fifth graders at Rochester Memorial School far surpassed statewide results for MCAS science testing, outpacing the state’s “meeting” or “exceeding” achievement levels by 17 percentage points.
The fifth graders also improved their MCAS science scores from the previous year, with 60% of students achieving “meeting” or “exceeding” in 2025 compared to 59% in 2024. The 60% also represents a large improvement from 2019, when 49% of Rochester Memorial fifth graders scored “meeting” or “exceeding” on MCAS science tests.
As a result of the school’s outstanding performance on the MCAS, the school district is being recognized for its accomplishments at DESE’s “Celebrating Academic Success” conference scheduled for Dec. 2 in Marlborough. The event will offer an opportunity for educators representing the Rochester Memorial School to share best practices and strategies with their colleagues from around the state, explaining how the school was able achieve pre-pandemic levels on MCAS for math from Grade 3-8.
Principal Letendre said she credits the school’s success to the dedication of both students and staff, as well as the district’s focus on consistent, data-driven instruction and targeted academic support.
“Our teachers have worked incredibly hard to identify students’ individual needs and to help every child grow,” said Principal Letendre. “This recognition reflects not only our students’ perseverance and commitment to learning, but also the collaboration among educators, families, and support staff who ensure that all learners are given the opportunity to thrive.”
Assistant Superintendent Fedorowicz said the results highlight the district’s deliberate focus on high-quality instruction and timely academic interventions.
“Our team has placed a strong emphasis on using assessment data to help ensure that students receive the exact support they need, when they need it,” said Assistant Superintendent Fedorowicz. “Seeing this level of growth affirms that our strategic team approach is making a meaningful difference for students.”
School Committee Chairperson Duggan commended the teachers and students at Rochester Memorial, along with the administration for helping to make this all possible.
“I am so impressed by the students and educators at Rochester Memorial who put in the hard work to earn such solid MCAS scores, as well as by the building and district administrators for fostering an environment where this level of achievement is possible,” said School Committee Chairperson Duggan. “While all of these efforts were not made with statewide recognition in mind, it is gratifying to see our town’s name listed as one of just a handful in this category of performance improvement. Given our school and district’s recent adoption of new high-quality curricula in math and ELA, I look forward to building on this accomplishment and Rochester Memorial’s reputation for excellence in the years to come.”
Superintendent Nelson said the recognition demonstrates the strength of the district’s instructional practices and its commitment to continuous improvement.
“This achievement is a testament to the strong teaching and learning happening every day at Rochester Memorial School,” said Superintendent Nelson. “I am deeply proud of the students, educators and families who have worked together to reach this milestone, bringing this hard-working elementary school back to — and even beyond — pre-pandemic levels of success.”
###
Discover more from John Guilfoil Public Relations
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.