Gardner Magazine Reports on Schools – Student Attendance, Teacher Retention, and Dropout Rates
Gardner Magazine utilized data from the Massachusetts Department of Education for this report and the associated “Deep Dive” podcasts. View the data yourself right here, CLICK for WEBSITE.
Gardner Magazine looked in to what percentage of students are attending school, what percentage of teachers are being retained, and the dropout rates. Districts were compared across the State of Masaschusetts. The Town of Winchendon stood out with one of the lowest attendance rates in the area, one of the lowest teacher retention rates in the area, and one of the higher dropout rates in the state of Massachusetts.
Student Attendance: Best student attendance in the state was the MA Academy for Math and Science at 98.6%. Gardner was at 92.4%. The Town of Winchendon was at 89.9%. Ashburnham – Westminster 94.9, Athol – Royalston 91.9, Gardner 92.4, Monty-Tech 96.2, Narragansett 94.1, Orange 94.2, Petersham 93.6, Quabbin 93.8, Wachusett 94.3, Warwick 94.3, Winchendon 89.9 Other communites: Boston: 90.5, Fitchburg: 90.9, Greenfield 91.9, Leominster 93.2, Springfield 90.8, and Worcester 91.9 . Listen to the Attendance Data Deep Dive on any device, CLICK PLAY
Teacher Retention: With data last updated on April 3, 2025: Retention rates in the area were – Gardner 84%, Ashburnham – Westminster 90%, Athol – Royalston 79.2%, Boston 83.8%, Fitchburg 81.8%, Leominster 86.9%, Monty-Tech 90.8%, Narragansett 94.2%, Orange 85.7%, Quabbin 89.5%, Springfield 81.9%, Wachusett 94.3%, Winchendon 68.5%. Listen to the MA Teacher Retention Deep Dive on any device, CLICK PLAY.
Dropout Rates: Winchendon had one of the higher dropout rates at 7.5%, Lawrence was higher at 7.8%. Gardner – 2.9%, Ashburnham – Westminster- 3%, Athol – Royalston – 2.9%, Narragansett – 3.2%, Monty-Tech – .2%. Leominster 1.2%, Fitchburg 2.1%, Boston 4.5%, Quabbin 3%, Many Massachusetts cities and towns had dropout percentages of 0 or under 1%. Listen to the MA Dropout Rates Deep Dive on any device, CLICK PLAY.