We thought we would be done with COVID reporting but here we are. Cases still linger in schools in April. The statewide numbers are just above the pre-Thanksgiving rates.
Most districts switched to at-home self-testing for COVID-19 weekly reporting. The data from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education only shows the number of pooled tests administered. We don’t know how many students or staff are participating in the at-home testing program. We also do not know how many of the positive tests are through the home testing program or through district pool testing. We are reliant on the goodwill of caregivers reporting positive COVID-19 tests and school administrators including those positive results in their weekly reports. Your mileage may vary on the reliability of the DESE data.
Don’t forget to check out our running list of the COVID-19 policies. You have not likely missed much. DESE has not provided any COVID-19 updates since March 9, 2022.
| Number of MA Students | 911,465 |
| Positive Student Cases to Date | 213,755 (23.3 %) |
Student Count: Number of reported positive cases for students who are enrolled in the school.
Staff Count: Number of reported positive cases for district staff members employed by the school district.
If a school has concerns over a spike in cases within a classroom, grade, or a school, districts and schools must notify their local board of health and must call the DESE Rapid Response Help Center at 781-338-3500.
DESE FAQ Week of November 15, 2021
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education weekly reports are available here.
You can explore the DESE guidance for school-based testing, vaccines and safety policies for public and private schools here.
Curious about more statewide COVID-19 data? The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has a comprehensive interactive dashboard with community level data on testing, hospitalizations and COVID-19 Variants. You can visit their dashboard here.