The top reported proficiency rate is 16% in Math. The lowest is 6% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Up Academy Charter School of Boston
UP Academy Charter School of Boston is a public charter school serving grades six through eight, located in the South Boston neighborhood. As a middle school only, it does not have a high school graduation rate, and state testing data is based on the Massachusetts Next-Generation MCAS assessments for grades six through eight. The school operates as part of a single-school district, UP Academy Charter School of Boston (District), and no recent district-level changes were publicly reported.
The student body is small and overwhelmingly composed of Black and Hispanic students, each group making up roughly half of enrollment, with a very small share of white and Asian students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are English learners was not available. A parent may want to ask the school directly about these support populations and how they are served.
The neighborhood itself is a densely populated urban community that has undergone heavy gentrification. South Boston remains a residential area with a strong commercial corridor along Broadway, and it offers walkable streets, MBTA subway and bus access, and waterfront parks and beaches. Property values and rents in the area are high relative to state and national medians, reflecting the broader Boston housing market. The school sits on Dorchester Street, embedded in the neighborhood rather than on a separate campus.
On the most recent state assessments, proficiency rates across all tested subjects were well below the midpoint for districts in Suffolk County. The school’s combined proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile compared with other Suffolk County districts. In math, about one in every six or seven students scored proficient or above. In English language arts, the rate was similar. In science, only a very small fraction met the proficiency bar. Looking at trends over the past several years, proficiency rates reached roughly one in three students in both math and ELA before the pandemic, then dropped and have remained lower since. The most recent figures represent a decline from even the prior year in ELA, while math held roughly steady. Parents considering the school should be aware that academic performance at this level is substantially below the county average, and they may wish to inquire about the school’s instructional approach and any targeted support programs in place.
The school’s charter status means it operates independently of the Boston Public Schools system, with its own admissions process and governance. No information was available about course offerings, after-school programs, discipline practices, or staffing ratios. Those are all details a family would want to gather directly from the school. The combination of a small middle school, a diverse student population, and a location in a rapidly changing urban neighborhood defines the setting, while the academic results point to a school that faces real challenges in moving the needle on student achievement.
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