The Elementary and Secondary Schools Act (ESSA) requires that all public school students in grades 3 through 8 and the third year of high school participate in the Maine Comprehensive Assessment System (MECAS). The MECAS includes state assessments, known as the Maine Educational Assessments (MEAs), which measure the progress of Maine students in the areas of English Language Arts (ELA) and Literacy, Mathematics, and Science.

The Maine Department of Education houses an online data dashboard including a District Report Card that provides school and district assessment data. (Rowe School does not appear on the list, as students in Kindergarten and Grade 1 are not included in the testing). Although standardized assessment scores are not the sole measure of school performance, they do provide a snapshot of student growth and/or achievement, depending on the test administered.

The Yarmouth School Department (YSD) uses assessment data to inform instructional practices at the district, school, and classroom levels for students. Although YSD encourages students and parents to participate fully in the state assessment program, it is important to note that parents/guardians may opt their child out of state testing. If you are interested in doing so, please contact your child's principal and make this request in writing.

Yarmouth schools and students have traditionally performed significantly better than the state average and often produce the highest scores of any non-magnet, public school district in the state. Graphs below show student performance in Yarmouth on MEA assessments in ELA and Literacy, Mathematics and Science as compared to the state averages.