The top reported proficiency rate is 84% in English language arts. The lowest is 60% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Chilmark Elementary
Chilmark Elementary is a small, regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade on the island of Martha's Vineyard. It is part of the Up-Island Regional school district, which serves the western towns of the island. The school draws exclusively from the town of Chilmark, a low-density, predominantly residential community with a working fishing harbor at Menemsha. Chilmark is the least densely populated town on the island and, by one publicly reported measure, had the highest median home sale price of any town or city in Massachusetts in a recent year, reflecting an affluent, seasonal character. The town’s civic facilities cluster at a crossroads called Beetlebung Corner, and there is no traditional walkable downtown or public transit within town limits. High school students from Chilmark attend Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School after leaving this elementary program.
Enrollment at the school is small, with each grade from kindergarten through fifth holding a modest number of students. The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller group of students identifying as two or more races, and a very small number of Asian and American Indian students represented. Data on students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch was not reported, and information on students with disabilities or English learners was also unavailable, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the range of support services available.
Academically, Chilmark Elementary posts strong results on the state’s NextGen MCAS assessments. In the most recent testing year, proficiency rates in both English language arts and math were well above typical levels, with ELA notably higher than math. When compared across all districts in Dukes County, the school’s combined proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed it in the top quartile. That is a meaningful indicator, since the county includes other island towns and the countywide median itself reflects a generally well-resourced area. Multi-year trends show that performance has varied year to year, with a dip in math during the pandemic period followed by a recovery in recent years. Science results are only available from an older assessment year, so current science performance cannot be gauged from the data at hand. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was not available.
The school’s environment is shaped by its island setting and the very high cost of housing in Chilmark. Home values in the area are far above both state and national benchmarks, which means the families who live here year-round tend to have significant financial resources, but it also places the community out of reach for many. The school itself is a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation, and no Title I status was reported. No information on discipline rates, staffing ratios, or course access was provided.
For a parent considering this school, the picture is one of a very small, academically strong elementary program in a rural, affluent island community. The combination of top-quartile proficiency and a tiny enrollment suggests that students receive substantial individual attention, though the lack of data on special populations or support programs is a gap worth exploring. The broader trade-off is the high cost of living and the relative isolation of Chilmark, with no direct ferry or air access to the mainland and limited local amenities. Families who value a tight-knit, high-performing school in a quiet, natural setting may find this a strong fit, but those seeking more urban resources or a more diverse peer environment would need to look further. No recent changes to the district’s operations or programming were identified in available sources, so the school appears to be proceeding on a stable, long-established footing.
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