Massachusetts Poll Shows College Interest Slipping Amid Growing Gaps in Readiness and Access
Poll highlights declining college interest alongside widening gaps in readiness and access across Massachusetts students
Boston, MA — A new poll released today by EdTrust in Massachusetts reveals that fewer parents now expect their children to pursue a bachelor’s degree than at any point in the past three years. This pattern, reflected across the country amid growing skepticism about the value and affordability of higher education, is especially troubling for a state that has long relied on higher education as both an economic engine and the backbone of its knowledge economy. At the same time, widening gaps in confidence about postsecondary readiness, access, and planning supports are emerging across racial, income, and geographic lines.
The statewide tracking poll, conducted by The MassINC Polling Group, which surveyed parents of children in grades K-12, with an analysis of responses from parents of students in grades 6–12, found that only 45% now expect their child to pursue a bachelor’s degree — down from 53% in 2023 and 48% in 2025. These striking shifts and disparities are emerging across income, race, and parental education.
By income: Only 10% of families earning less than $50,000 annually expect their child to pursue a bachelor’s degree, while 27% now expect their child to pursue a trade program — up from 17% in 2023. Among families earning under $100,000, 23% expect their child to pursue a bachelor’s degree, compared to 66% of higher-income families.
By race: 29% of Latino parents, 40% of Black parents, 46% of white parents, and 71% of Asian parents expect their child to pursue a bachelor’s degree. Since 2023, expectations have declined among both White parents (from 56% to 46%) and Black parents (from 48% to 40%), while Latino parents remain steady but increasingly divided between bachelor’s (29%) and associate degree (30%) goals.
By parental education: Just 23% of parents without a bachelor’s degree expect their child to pursue one, compared to 65% of parents with at least a bachelor’s or higher. Even among the most educated, expectations are shifting: the share of parents with advanced degrees who expect their child to pursue a bachelor’s degree fell from 85% in 2023 to 66% in 2026.
“The poll results echo what I consistently hear from families: while they continue to believe in the promise of postsecondary education, mounting concerns about its value are growing amid rising college costs, uncertainty about AI’s impact on the job market, and increasingly polarized debates about higher education,” said Jennie Williamson, state director for EdTrust in Massachusetts. “At the same time, families see that students lack the access, support, and information necessary to navigate life after high school. These findings should serve as a wake-up call: equity in college and career readiness is falling behind the expectations placed on students.”
As Massachusetts develops new statewide graduation requirements that will establish new expectations for what students must demonstrate to graduate, the poll suggests families are increasingly questioning whether all students will have equitable access to the preparation, supports, and opportunities needed to meet those expectations.
Confidence in Postsecondary Preparation Remains Uneven
Overall, 69% of parents with children in grades 6-12 believe that their child’s school is preparing them adequately for life after high school — a figure that has remained stable in recent years. Despite overall positive confidence, the new poll reveals substantial drops among several groups.
By race: Latino parents experienced the steepest decline in confidence, falling from 77% in 2025 to 56% in 2026. Black parents also saw a notable drop, from 80% to 64%, during the same period.
By education level: 59% of parents without a bachelor’s degree feel their child is adequately prepared for life after high school, compared to 78% of parents with a bachelor’s or advanced degree.
By income: Parents earning more than $100,000 annually report higher confidence (77%) than those earning less than $100,000 (61%).
Gaps in College and Planning Supports Persist
The poll underscores ongoing inequities in access to crucial college and career planning supports. Statewide, two-thirds of parents give their child’s school top marks (A or B) for assisting with college and career planning, but significant disparities persist across demographic groups.
Latino parents saw a notable drop in positive ratings — from 73% in 2025 to 62% in 2026
Families who earn over $100,000 annually rated their schools more positively (71%) than lower-income families (61%)
Parents with at least a bachelor’s degree or higher are more likely to give positive ratings than those without one
"The implementation of the forthcoming graduation requirements in Massachusetts must address the concerns and experiences of our families," said Amanda Seider, executive director of OneGoal. “All parents - regardless of income, educational attainment, or personal background - should be able to confidently rely on our school systems to prepare their children for a life of opportunity and choice. As we move closer to implementing new graduation requirements, it will be critical for us to ensure equitable access to high-quality advising and postsecondary planning supports so that all students are truly set up for success.”
Additional Key Poll Findings:
Fewer than half of parents gave their child’s school an A or B for support with financial aid applications, while more than one-quarter rate schools a C, D, or F. Rural families report the lowest support levels — only 32% offer positive ratings — compared to 40% of suburban families and 51% of urban families.
Overall, 61% of parents give their child’s school an A or B for offering opportunities to earn college credit in high school, while one-quarter rate it a C, D, or F. Still, access to advanced learning opportunities — including Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, and early college programs — differs significantly by race, income, and region.
Black (70%) and Asian (67%) parents are more likely than white (60%) and Latino (59%) parents to report strong access to these programs. 54% of parents earning less than $100,000 report strong access, compared to 66% of higher-income families. Families in Boston’s inner suburbs experience greater access than those in Western and Central Massachusetts.
"This poll deserves our attention. In Massachusetts, college attainment remains one of the strongest drivers of economic and social mobility," said Chessye Moseley, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College. "Our job is to equitably prepare every student for what's next, so they believe that college — and affordable college — is within reach. Early College does exactly that: saving students time and money while building the confidence and skills to succeed. As Massachusetts works to meaningfully expand Early College over the next decade, awareness, access, and support must keep pace — because students can't benefit from pathways they don't know exist or can't reach."
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About EdTrust: EdTrust is committed to advancing policies and practices to dismantle the racial and economic barriers embedded in the American education system. Through our research and advocacy, EdTrust improves equity in education from preschool through college, engages diverse communities dedicated to education equity and justice, and increases political and public will to build an education system where students will thrive. Learn more at edtrust.org/massachusetts/.
About The MassINC Polling Group: The MassINC Polling Group (MPG) is a nonpartisan public opinion research firm serving public, private, and social-sector clients. MPG elevates the public’s voice with cutting-edge methods and rigorous analysis. Based in Boston, MPG serves a nationwide client base. Learn more at massincpolling.com.
METHODOLOGY: These results are based on a survey of 1,069 parents of K-12 students in Massachusetts. This included 710 parents of children in grades 6-12, who are the focus of this analysis. Future releases will include all respondents from the survey. Live telephone interviews and online interviews were conducted in English and Spanish from April 1 to April 14, 2026. Telephone respondents were reached by both landline and cell phone. Oversamples of Black, Latino, and Asian respondents were obtained to bring the total interview count to at least 170 per group in the base sample. Results within race and ethnicity were weighted to age, gender, geography, and education level for each group. Groups were then combined and weighted to the population parameters by race for the state as a whole. The credibility interval for this survey is +/- 3.7 percentage points for the entire sample, including the design effect. The poll was sponsored by The Education Trust.