Berkshire Hills Schools Rank 12th in State for AP Exam Pass Rates

LENOX — March 26, 2026 — Berkshire Hills Regional School District ranked 12th in Massachusetts for Advanced Placement exam pass rates, the School Committee learned at its March 26 meeting. Director of Curriculum and Instruction Colin presented five-year trend data showing Monument Mountain Regional High School placing in the top 15 statewide — ahead of Brookline and Lexington — for the percentage of AP scores in the three-to-five range, with comparable strength in county and demographically matched district comparisons. Superintendent Peter Dillon called the results a direct outcome of the district's decision to eliminate academic tracking, noting the graduating class was the first cohort to experience the reform, and that students of color, high-need students, and low-income students are now taking and passing AP exams in greater numbers. The committee unanimously approved acceptance of a book and Holocaust curriculum materials donation from longtime Monument teacher Roselle Shartok, and unanimously approved a waiver allowing seventh- and eighth-grade girls to join the co-op lacrosse program with Lee. Dillon also announced the appointment of Seth Levin Lewis as the new Du Bois Middle School principal effective July, and the pending retirement of Paul Kakely, a facilities employee since approximately 1974 whose institutional knowledge of building systems the district plans to retain through a consulting arrangement.