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Marblehead’s School Committee reviewed data showing increased Advanced Placement participation and a steady district enrollment decline during its meeting Thursday night, while also approving a new copier contract and advancing a revised high school graduation competency policy on a split vote.
The committee also voted to enter executive session at the end of the meeting to address matters listed on the posted agenda, including collective bargaining strategy.
If you use this School Committee coverage to track course access, staffing pressures and policy decisions, consider helping fund it. You’re able to read this because 64 Marblehead neighbors — parents, retirees and local professionals — chip in with recurring monthly or annual support. The Independent runs on about $80,000 a year, with roughly 95% going straight to journalism, and we’re working to reach 100 members by Dec. 31 so we can keep showing up for meetings like this. If you’ve been meaning to support local reporting, joining today helps. Click here to become an Independent member
Advanced Placement: Participation up, questions about outcomes
Assistant Superintendent Julia Ferreira presented data on Marblehead High School’s Advanced Placement program, outlining course offerings, student participation and exam results over multiple years.
According to materials Ferreira reviewed with the committee, the high school offers 21 Advanced Placement courses across multiple departments. The presentation showed 376 students enrolled in Advanced Placement coursework in 2025, up from prior years, and 926 Advanced Placement exams administered. Of those students, 327 earned scores of 3 or higher, which Ferreira said represents 87% of students who took the exams.
Ferreira’s presentation also broke out participation and testing trends over time, showing steady growth both in the number of students taking at least one Advanced Placement course and in the total number of exams taken. Committee members noted that the increase in exams outpaced the increase in students, suggesting that more students are taking multiple Advanced Placement courses.
Committee members focused on how the data should be interpreted and what it does not capture. Several asked whether the district tracks post-graduation outcomes, including whether colleges award credit or placement for Advanced Placement coursework. Ferreira said the district tracks exam participation and scores but does not currently collect systematic data on how individual colleges apply those scores once students matriculate, noting that credit policies vary widely by institution.
Members also raised questions about access to Advanced Placement courses, including how students are advised into the program and whether participation reflects the full range of students at the high school. Ferreira pointed to year-over-year increases as evidence of expanding participation but acknowledged that the district would need additional data to evaluate equity of access and long-term outcomes beyond exam scores.
If you use this School Committee coverage to track course access, staffing pressures and policy decisions, consider helping fund it. You’re able to read this because 64 Marblehead neighbors — parents, retirees and local professionals — chip in with recurring monthly or annual support. The Independent runs on about $80,000 a year, with roughly 95% going straight to journalism, and we’re working to reach 100 members by Dec. 31 so we can keep showing up for meetings like this. If you’ve been meaning to support local reporting, joining today helps. Click here to become an Independent member
Enrollment trends and planning questions
The committee next reviewed enrollment trends, with administrators presenting multi-year data showing a steady decline spread across grade levels rather than concentrated in a single cohort.
Materials presented showed an annual average enrollment change of -3.88% and a decline from 2,754 students to 2,511. Administrators described the decline as gradual and distributed, rather than tied to a single year or grade, and said that pattern complicates staffing and program planning.
Committee members asked what portion of the decline reflects broader demographic shifts, including birth rates and housing patterns, and what might be influenced by district-specific factors such as programming, school climate or family decisions at key transition years. Administrators cautioned against attributing causation without deeper analysis but said the trends underscore the need for long-range planning.
Members also sought clearer information about where Marblehead resident students attend school outside Marblehead Public Schools. Administrators referenced enrollments in private schools, a charter school, vocational education and homeschooling, noting that the figures provide context for enrollment losses but do not, on their own, explain why families choose alternatives or whether those decisions are reversible.
Several committee members emphasized that enrollment data should inform, but not dictate, staffing and program decisions, warning against reactive cuts or assumptions. The discussion returned repeatedly to the challenge of balancing enrollment trends with fixed costs and maintaining program breadth as student counts shift.
Votes and policy actions
Several votes followed as the committee moved through routine business.
Members voted unanimously to approve the schedule of bills totaling $814,799.87. The vote followed discussion about corrections needed to the committee’s Dec. 4 meeting minutes, with members emphasizing the importance of accurately reflecting motions, amendments and vote language before final approval.
The committee also voted unanimously to reappoint Mark Strout as Marblehead’s representative to the Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School District for a new three-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
On policy matters, the committee approved several items on unanimous votes, including policies governing access to buildings and grounds, meal modifications and nutrition services, field trips, student conduct and discipline, prohibitions on alcohol and drug use by students, food service programs and the district’s meal charge policy.
The most debated policy action involved the district’s graduation competency determination policy. After extended discussion, the committee approved the policy on a 3-1 vote, then voted unanimously to waive an additional reading to move the policy forward.
The committee also voted unanimously to approve a copier contract with RICO after reviewing projected print volumes, cost comparisons and the use of PaperCut software to manage printing and tracking. Administrators said the 48-month agreement is projected to save $88,000 over the life of the contract, including $22,000 annually. Committee members asked how usage would be monitored and how access and authentication would work under the new system.
