Massachusetts students of color, low-income twice as likely to attend substandard schools, report finds

Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald on Oct 7, 2025

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Low-income students and students of color are about twice as likely to attend schools with substandard conditions in Massachusetts, according to a new education report by MassINC and the Worcester Regional Research Bureau released Tuesday.

“Everyone understands that construction costs have risen and public resources are limited, so after twenty years, it is time to update the state’s approach to school building,” said Worcester Regional Research Bureau Executive Director Paul Matthews. “To address the most pressing needs of our students, this should lead to prioritizing buildings with poor conditions that cause clear and immediate harm to students and their academic success.”

The report, titled "Fixing the Foundation: Uneven Access to Modern Schools and a Blueprint for a More Equitable Future," analyzed all projects in the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s Core Program, which provides state funds for major school construction projects, and the distribution of school facility conditions in districts across the state.

The analysis shows “the state’s school construction system has failed to prioritize the communities with the greatest needs,” the report states. Suburban schools receive disproportionate shares of the state construction funds, leaving urban school buildings with greater needs behind.

The state Core Program provides funds for new schools, substantial renovations, and building additions.

“With MSBA reimbursement rates well below what legislators agreed to, many cities simply can’t afford to build new schools, even when there is no question that their buildings are inadequate by any objective standard,” said MassINC Policy Center Director Ben Forman. “This means most of the state money is going to suburbs, where the need to replace schools isn’t nearly as acute.”

From 2015 to 2024, suburban schools were 57% of the Core Program, despite being 43% of Massachusetts schools, the report states. Urban districts in Boston and the Gateway Cities, however, made up under 19% of the program and are 32% of the schools in the state.

This also leaves Black, Hispanic, and low-income students much more likely to attend schools “in poor condition, overcrowded, or lacking key learning features.” About 20% of Black and Hispanic students attend schools without an art room compared to less than 9% of white students, 14% of Black and Hispanic students attend schools without a gym compared to 7% of white students, and over 12% of Black and Hispanic students attend schools without libraries compared to 4% of white students, the report details.

Though 19% of schools have less than 30% white student population, the data show, they make up 30% of those in poor condition, half of those missing “multiple essential learning features,” and two-thirds of those overcrowded.

With the current funding and allocation patterns, the report states, it would take the state about 50 years to rebuild all of the schools that are “obsolete” now.

The report urges policymakers to take several steps, including increasing the state funding, restructuring policies to prioritize based on need, and address long-term planning.

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