The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in Science. The lowest is 42% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Swanson Road Intermediate School
Swanson Road Intermediate School serves grades three through five in Auburn, a suburban town that sits at the intersection of several major highways and has seen substantial commercial growth along its main corridors. The school is one piece of a district that also includes two primary schools, a middle school, and a high school, each on its own campus. Auburn itself is a community that the town describes as struggling to maintain a small-town feel amid rapid business and industrial development, with a housing stock that is predominantly suburban and a car-dependent layout built around Routes 12 and 20. The housing market in the area around the school sits at a level broadly consistent with central Massachusetts, with modest year-over-year price movement.
The school is a regular public school with an enrollment that is typical for an intermediate school serving this grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with Hispanic students representing a notable share and smaller groups of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, as well as the number of students receiving special education services or English learner supports, was not available in the source material, so a family with specific support needs would want to follow up directly with the school to understand those figures.
On the Massachusetts NextGen MCAS assessments, the most recent results show that just under half of students scored at the proficient level or above in English language arts, and a somewhat smaller share met that benchmark in math. In science, a little over half of tested students reached proficiency. Participation rates were high across all subjects, which strengthens confidence in the reported results. In comparison to other schools across the districts in Worcester County, Swanson Road Intermediate School’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint. The school has no graduation rate data because it does not serve high school grades.
Looking at the proficiency trend over time, the English language arts results have settled at a lower level than they were several years ago. In the years prior to the pandemic, proficiency in ELA was at around two-thirds of students or slightly above. That figure dropped and has remained in the mid- to upper-forties range in recent years, showing no clear upward trajectory. Math proficiency followed a somewhat similar pattern: it was around three-fifths in the pre-pandemic period, fell during the pandemic years, and has settled in a range below half. The most recent math result is the lowest in that post-pandemic period. A parent reading these trends would see a school where achievement has not returned to its prior levels, and where recent results have been stable but soft in both literacy and math. Science results are reported for only one grade level, which is common for intermediate schools, and those are the most recent available.
No data on chronic absenteeism or discipline was available in the source materials, and the district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes involving budgets, curriculum, construction, or policy shifts. The school itself lists no specific magnet or Title I designations in the data, and program offerings were not catalogued in what was provided. The lack of detail on programs such as enrichment, intervention, or arts means a family should seek that information directly from the school or district to understand what is available beyond the core academic curriculum.
Swanson Road Intermediate School is a standard public intermediate school in a growing suburban community where commercial development has outpaced population growth. Its academic results are mixed, with proficiency rates that sit around the middle of Worcester County’s districts but that have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, particularly in math. The absence of student support and economic context data leaves an incomplete picture of who the school serves and what resources are in place. A family considering this school would benefit from talking with current parents and visiting the building to get a fuller sense of the day-to-day experience and the range of programs offered.
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