Of the more than 1,000 Massachusetts schools tested for lead in the past year, the majority had at least one positive sample.
The Boston Globe reports more than 600 had a sample above the state limit.
In some of the worst cases, school officials say samples came from unused water fountains. The highest lead level, which was reportedly found in November in a water fountain at Hancock K-5 Elementary School in Brockton, registered at 32,400 parts per billion, which the Globe said was significantly higher than the worst lead reading found during the Flint, Michigan, water crisis.
Mayor Bill Carpenter says he's spending thousands to eliminate the problem in his community.
"Every fixture that tested positive above acceptable levels of lead or copper, was immediately disconnected. We are now systematically going through those fixtures and every single one of them is being permanently removed or capped off, or replaced with a brand new fixture," Carpenter told NBC Boston.
Students at Hancock Elementary said they noticed that the problem was being addressed right away.
"We used to have water fountains and now they are just closed up with tape saying, 'do not enter'", said student Nick Genatossio.
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His mother said she is relieved that Brockton officials are acting quickly.
"I felt like my son was talking about before it was even out in the public," said Janice Genatossio.
This particular test was voluntary, and did not include Boston public schools.
