Westwood has a proud tradition of educational excellence, built by generations of dedicated teachers, administrators, and community members. But like many districts, we face challenges — some driven by COVID, some by budget pressures. Here's what the data shows, and where we have opportunities to improve.
While MCAS is just one data point, it reveals a pattern: Westwood students go from leading peers in elementary grades to trailing them by middle school. This is especially visible in Grade 7 math.
Westwood has the talent, the resources, and the community support to compete with any district in the state. A focused curriculum review and targeted investments can help us recover the ground we've lost.
Source: Spring 2025 MCAS, MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (profiles.doe.mass.edu). Peer districts: Wellesley, Needham, Dover-Sherborn, Medfield, Hopkinton, Weston.
The pattern extends into high school, where Westwood's 10th graders score competitively in several areas but have room to grow in math relative to peer districts.
| District | ELA | Math | Science |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover-Sherborn | 91% | 87% | 86% |
| Needham | 85% | 84% | 72% |
| Hopkinton | 84% | 80% | 80% |
| Weston | 81% | 82% | 77% |
| Wellesley | 77% | 81% | 85% |
| Medfield | 73% | 79% | 88% |
| Westwood | 77% | 77% | 77% |
These gaps suggest the curriculum review should span K-12, not just middle school. Westwood has the foundation to close this distance — we just need to be intentional about it.
Source: Spring 2025 MCAS, MA DESE. Peer districts: Wellesley, Needham, Dover-Sherborn, Medfield, Hopkinton, Weston.
Like districts across the state, Westwood's ELA scores were disrupted by the pandemic. Math has largely recovered, but ELA has not yet returned to pre-COVID levels.
| Year | ELA (Grades 3-8) | Math (Grades 3-8) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | ~78% | ~73% | Pre-pandemic baseline |
| 2020 | No test (COVID) | ||
| 2021 | 75% | 62% | First post-COVID test |
| 2023 | ~72% | ~70% | Slow recovery |
| 2025 | 71% | 72% | Still 7 points below 2019 |
Math has largely recovered, which shows our teachers and students are capable of bouncing back. ELA deserves the same focused attention to help Westwood return to the strong trajectory it was on before COVID.
Source: Spring 2025 MCAS + historical data, MA DESE. Values marked ~ are approximations.
Results from a Westwood parent survey I conducted in 2024 as part of my service on the district Portrait of a Graduate committee.
A strong academic focus, more STEM, and better communication — these are priorities that parents and our dedicated educators share. This campaign's platform is built on listening to both.
Source: Westwood parent survey I conducted in 2024 as part of my service on the district Portrait of a Graduate committee (28 respondents). Directional findings from engaged parents.
Westwood's town and school leaders face real constraints under Proposition 2½. But the result has been three consecutive years where the approved school budget fell short of what the superintendent identified as needed to maintain current staffing and services.
| Fiscal Year | Level Services Needed | Approved Budget | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY25 | 3.77% ($56,808K) | 3.69% ($56,764K) | -$44K |
| FY26 | 3.88% ($56,966K) | 3.52% ($58,762K) | -$204K |
| FY27 | 5.18% ($61,814K) | 4.91% ($61,649K) | -$165K |
These budget pressures have led to difficult decisions by our district leaders, including restructuring of elementary arts and music programs (FY25), reduction of the Mandarin program (FY26), and cuts to classroom teachers and instructional staff (FY27). Our administrators and School Committee members have worked hard within real constraints — but the trend needs to be reversed.
The initial FY27 proposal included cuts of 5 general education teachers. After parents, teachers, and School Committee members advocated together, a revised budget was approved that restored 4 elementary teachers. This shows what's possible when the community engages in the budget process. The challenge is sustaining that engagement year after year.
Source: Westwood Public Schools Budget Executive Summaries, FY25-FY27. All documents available at westwood.k12.ma.us.