The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in English language arts. The lowest is 32% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Charles C Cashman Elementary
Charles C Cashman Elementary serves students in grades three through five in Amesbury, a former farming and mill town in Essex County that has become largely residential. The school shares a campus with the newer SGT. Jordan Shay Memorial Lower Elementary School, which opened in 2023 and serves kindergarten through second grade. As of the 2024-2025 school year, all elementary students in the Amesbury district are consolidated onto one property, with the two schools divided by age. This reorganization replaced an earlier system where students attended one of two geographically separate elementary schools.
Cashman Elementary is a regular public school. The student body is predominantly white, with a notable share of Hispanic students and small numbers of Black, multiracial, and other backgrounds. The school serves a mid-sized enrollment for an upper elementary school in its grade band. Information on the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was not available in the data provided, nor were counts of students with disabilities or English learners, so a family may want to ask the school directly about those support populations.
On the most recent state assessments, the Massachusetts Next-Generation MCAS, Cashman’s proficiency rates fell below the midpoint relative to other districts in Essex County across the subjects tested. In English language arts, a share of students scored at the proficient level or above that was lower than the school’s own past performance in some earlier years. In math, the proficiency rate was also in that range. In science, which is tested only in grade five, a similar pattern held. The multi-year trend data available shows that ELA proficiency has fluctuated over time, reaching a higher point in the 2018-2019 and 2020-2021 school years, then settling at a lower level more recently. Math proficiency rates have also varied year to year, with no clear upward trajectory over the span of available data. These are soft spots in the school’s academic profile, and a parent may want to discuss with the school how it supports students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks and what interventions are in place.
Because Cashman serves only grades three through five, it does not have a graduation rate. The school has no charter or magnet status, and information on Title I status was not provided. No data on discipline, chronic absenteeism, or staffing ratios was available in the materials reviewed.
Housing in the area carries a substantial price tag. Home values in the zip code are above the national benchmark, and rents are elevated as well. The local housing market is active, with a high demand score and a supply score that reflects limited inventory. For a family considering a move to Amesbury, the affordability picture is tight, with estimated mortgage costs outpacing the typical renter’s budget relative to national income levels.
Amesbury itself is a community with a small-town feel, situated along the Powwow River. Its economy includes light manufacturing and services, though specific current major employers were not named in publicly available sources. The town has parks, conservation areas, a golf course, and the John Greenleaf Whittier house as a historic site. Bus service connects to train stations in Haverhill and Newburyport. The district’s recent consolidation of elementary schools onto one campus is a notable change that families moving into the area will want to understand, as it shapes how children move through the elementary grades within a single location.
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