The top reported proficiency rate is 66% in Science. The lowest is 49% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Frederick J Dutile
Frederick J Dutile is an elementary school serving kindergarten through fourth grade within the Billerica Public Schools. Though its mailing address says North Billerica, the school sits in the River Pines section of town, a residential pocket of the larger Billerica community. Dutile is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it does not serve older grades, so there is no graduation rate to report.
North Billerica itself is an unincorporated village shaped by old mill industries and the Boston and Lowell Railroad. The area retains a village feel around the North Billerica Common and the MBTA commuter rail station, with modest commercial strips and residential streets. Average home values in the village run lower than the Massachusetts state average, making it a relatively more affordable entry point into the greater Boston housing market. The county-wide market has seen active listing counts rise and median listing prices dip slightly, signaling a shifting but still competitive environment. For a family buying or renting, the village offers a suburban setting with a train connection to Boston.
Academically, Dutile’s performance on the state’s NextGen MCAS tests places it slightly above the midpoint among all elementary-serving schools in Middlesex County when you combine math and English language arts results. In the most recent testing year, math proficiency was above half, while ELA proficiency landed just below half. That gap between the two subjects is worth noting: math shows a modestly stronger hand than reading and writing at this school. Science results are only available from several years ago and used a different cut-score framework, so they offer no reliable comparison to current performance. Over the past several testing cycles, proficiency rates in both subjects have moved up and down without a clear upward or downward trend. A parent might want to ask the school how its curriculum and interventions address literacy specifically, since that subject trails math.
The student body is majority white, with notable shares of Asian, black, and Hispanic students, and a smaller percentage of students identifying as two or more races. Data on students with disabilities, English learners, and free or reduced-price meal eligibility was not available in the source materials. For a family trying to understand the peer environment, the demographic mix is varied but not highly diverse. The school enrolls roughly a few hundred children across the five elementary grades, a size that is typical for its grade band.
The district brief turned up little in the way of recent parent-relevant changes; no major redistricting, program overhauls, or leadership transitions were publicly reported. That leaves the school’s academic trajectory and community context as the main factors for a family weighing a move.
Housing in the area carries a premium relative to national norms but is more attainable than many other parts of Massachusetts. The village’s historic character and commuter access appeal to families who want a quieter setting without giving up a rail link to Boston. The school itself sits outside that immediate village center, so a typical family commute involves driving.
For a parent or resident evaluating this school, the core picture is an elementary school with math results a shade above the county midpoint and ELA results that trail slightly. The community is suburban and moderately priced by state standards, with a visible historic layer and a commuter rail connection. The school’s small grade span means it feeds into upper elementary and middle schools elsewhere in Billerica, and those later results are not captured here. Families looking for a school with strength in math and a manageable enrollment size may find Dutile a reasonable fit, while those chiefly concerned with reading proficiency would want to explore supports and follow-through in the later grades.
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