Swampscott’s students with disabilities are outperforming the state in most fields, according to a presentation at the School Committee meeting Thursday.

Swampscott Public Schools Director of Student Services Martha Raymond gave a presentation on the current state of the district’s special education department at Thursday’s School Committee meeting, covering accomplishments and challenges as well as providing statistics comparing Swampscott students to the rest of the state. Currently between 20 and 25% of students at each of Swampscott’s three schools have learning disabilities. Raymond’s presentation showed that overall, Swampscott students with disabilities are outperforming the state in most fields.

“Our students are making gains at the early childhood level at a high level,” said Raymond, as 4th grade students with disabilities are more proficient in math and reading than state averages.

Through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the state recently gave the Swampscott School District an 89% score, based on performance and compliance, a slight improvement from 2025’s 88% score.

Over 82% of students with disabilities in the district are graduating with a regular high school diploma, Raymond said. Drop out levels are below state averages, and 87.5% of postsecondary students with disabilities are receiving further education or are currently employed.

There are also a higher percentage of students with disabilities in the Swampscott district that are in full inclusion settings compared to state averages, according to Raymond.

One possible area of improvement, Raymond noted, is MCAS scores for eighth and tenth grade students. Raymond said those numbers were also lower than expected for all students in the district, not just students with disabilities.

“I expect those numbers to be different this year,” said Raymond of the eighth and tenth grade scores.

Raymond emphasized that students today are affected by access to technology more so than ever before, resulting in shorter attention spans and weaker memories as well as worse reading comprehension abilities. She also noted that less patience is required for children and teens in everyday life due to the way technology makes everything more accessible.

Other challenges students face include a “continued concern regarding acuity of need for students with emotional disabilities, behavioral challenges, health issues and school avoidance” as well as a need for updated regulations for “time out and seclusion,” Raymond presented.

Along with Swampscott’s students with disabilities succeeding higher than averages around the state, Raymond noted multiple accomplishments for the district regarding special education, including the addition and success of different learning programming for students and the establishment of various online resources for families.

“I just want to give kudos to the entire team,” said School Committee Member Katie Arrington. “Special education is emotional for the families and the district. I think you do it with class and with kindness.”

School Committee Chair Glenn Paster also had high praise for the department.

“For the people at the state level I speak with, we are the envy of student services in Eastern Mass, if not beyond,” said Paster. “The services treat every student with dignity and respect so that they can learn to the best of their possible ability.”