Full-day kindergarten

Students attending full-day kindergarten

Definition: Percent of all kindergarten students attending full-day kindergarten programs

This indicator is included in the Readiness & Early Learning section of the Condition of Education in the Commonwealth Data Report. Quality early learning experiences create a strong foundation for future success and are linked to improved academic performance. Critical factors include ensuring access to high-quality early education and care, assessing school readiness, and providing full-day kindergarten to ensure all children are on track to be proficient readers by third grade.

Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: Kindergarten Enrollment for All Students

Low socioeconomic status: For the purposes of this report, low socioeconomic status is used as an umbrella term for such designations as: subsidy eligibility, low income, economically disadvantaged, and Pell grant recipients as defined by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, or Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education calculates “economically disadvantaged” (used for school year 2015 data and after) based on a student's participation in one or more of the following state-administered programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); the Transitional Assistance for Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC); the Department of Children and Families' (DCF) foster care program; and MassHealth (Medicaid).

Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Understanding the Economically Disadvantaged Indicator.

Note: It is important for users of this data to understand that enrollment percentages and achievement data for "economically disadvantaged" students cannot be directly compared to "low income" data in prior years (prior to 2015) or other low income designations.

*While comparing indicators, please keep in mind that different data sources use different definitions of student subgroups.

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Unpacking the Impact of the Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Ruling

December 18, 2024

In June 2023, the Supreme Court struck down race-based affirmative action practices in higher education, fundamentally altering the landscape of college admissions nationwide. Now, as colleges and universities share data on their first-year student enrollment, we can begin to unpack the real-world impact of this Supreme Court decision. This blog post examines what led to this moment, what the data from schools in Massachusetts and across the nation tells us, and what steps lie ahead for creating equitable pathways to higher education.