BOSTON -- The number of schools identified under federal standards as needing improvement is up 4 percent this year, according to the Department of Education, which released the 2009 school and district MCAS results on Wednesday.

Fifty-four percent of the state's schools need improvement as indicated by the No Child Left Behind Act. Last year the number of schools identified as needing improvement was 50 percent.

Adequate Yearly Progress measures district and school progress toward annual performance targets in English language arts (ELA) and math. Those that fail to meet their AYP targets in ELA and math in the aggregate or for any of their subgroups for two or more consecutive years receive an accountability status and are required to take steps to focus efforts on improving student performance. Alternately, schools and districts are removed from the list when they make their targets for two consecutive years.

Statewide, 109 districts -- 28 percent -- and 937 schools -- 54 percent -- are on the state's 2009 list of schools and districts in need of improvement because they did not make AYP for more than one year. Those 109 districts include 29 charter schools, eight vocational technical schools and 17 other single-school districts. The 937 schools are located in 266 -- 69 percent of the commonwealth's school districts. In 2008, a total of 828 schools -- 50 percent -- and 89 districts -- 23 percent -- were identified. The 89 districts included 26 charter schools, six vocational technical schools and 11 other single-school districts.

Brockton High School is one of eight high schools statewide with a 60 percent or higher low-income population in which 50 percent or more students have scored proficient or higher in all three subjects. The other schools are the Boston Preparatory Charter Public School, MATCH Charter Public High School, University Park Campus School, City on a Hill Charter Public School, Fenway High School, Revere High School and Codman Academy Charter Public School.

Statewide, six high schools -- Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Boston Latin Academy, Boston Preparatory Charter Public School, Dover-Sherborn Regional High School, MATCH Charter Public High School and Westborough High School -- had more than 95 percent of their students score proficient or higher in ELA, Math and Science, Technology/Engineering. There are 56 schools that have met the NCLB goal of having all students score proficient or higher in ELA and math.

According to statewide AYP results, four districts exited their accountability status entirely, after making AYP for two consecutive years: Dighton-Rehoboth, Community Day Charter School, Greater Lowell Voc Tech, and Southeastern Regional Voc Tech. At the same time, 10 multi-school districts were newly identified for the first time: Acushnet, Beverly, Billerica, Cambridge, Dartmouth, Dedham, Hudson, Quincy, West Springfield, and Whitman-Hanson.

In all, 21 schools previously identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring were removed after two consecutive years of improvement in the identified subject areas. Among them are three schools that were removed from restructuring and two schools that were removed from corrective action.