State test results for New Bedford Schools were mixed, but Mayor Jon Mitchell is still looking for improvement.

Speaking on his weekly radio program, the Mayor said faculty and administrators are working hard to attain higher academic acheivement in both the middle schools and high school.

He says low test scores are still a problem in both those areas. "Because the high school scores are tied to middle school performance, we've got to move the middle schools and the high school as one. That's something that's got to happen in the next couple of years," said the Mayor.

Mitchell says other urban areas have seen improvement in their middle schools, and he expects the same in New Bedford.

The high school however is facing some challenges. In recent test results from the state, 63% of tenth graders at New Bedford High either failed or were found to need improvement in math, and 36% of students either needed improvement or failed english language arts.

The Mayor also said he still believed Superintendent Pia Durkin was the person to lead the turnaround in New Bedford schools, saying "she has a very tough job."

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