The top reported proficiency rate is 20% in Science. The lowest is 14% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Clap Elementary School
Clap Elementary School is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. It is part of the Boston Public Schools system, a large urban district. The school occupies a residential street in a dense, transit-connected part of the city, within walking distance of the Red Line and the commercial activity of Fields Corner and Uphams Corner.
The student body is small and highly diverse, shaped by Dorchester’s long history as a gateway for immigrant families. No single racial or ethnic group forms a majority. The largest shares of students are, in descending order, Hispanic, then Black, then White, with smaller groups of Asian students and students who identify as two or more races. Data on economic disadvantage, special education, and English learner status were not available in this profile; a parent who wants to understand the level of student support and need would want to ask the school directly about its free or reduced-price meal rate, IEP population, and English learner services.
On the Massachusetts Next-Generation MCAS assessments for the most recent testing year, the share of students scoring proficient or above was well below the midpoint compared to other schools across Boston and other districts in Suffolk County. In math, about one in seven students reached that level; in English language arts, about one in six; in science, about one in five, though the science test draws from a smaller group of tested students. Looking over a longer arc, proficiency in both math and English has declined since the years before the pandemic. The highest recent point in ELA was about a third of students proficient several years ago, and in math about a fifth. Current figures are the lowest in that span. Participation on test day was complete, so the results are a full picture of how those grades performed.
Because Clap is an elementary school, it does not report a graduation rate or postsecondary outcomes. The school environment fields for discipline, staffing, attendance, and course access were also absent from the data available here.
The school’s setting in Dorchester means families are part of a neighborhood that is both deeply rooted and actively changing. Dorchester Avenue and the surrounding squares offer a vibrant, walkable commercial life, but some of the larger roads are car-oriented. Housing values and rents in the zip code are near the statewide average, with a slight year-over-year decline, and the area has seen ongoing development pressure, particularly near transit. The school itself is a neighborhood anchor, the kind of small elementary building parents can walk to.
For a parent considering Clap, the key things to weigh are the school’s small, intimate scale and the demographic diversity of its student body against the clear pattern of low academic proficiency. The trend is not new; it has been moving downward for several years. A parent would want to learn more about what academic interventions and supports are in place, how the school is addressing those results, and whether the non-academic environment—such as the quality of instruction, after-school options, and community feel—meets their child’s needs. The district brief for Boston Public Schools did not turn up recent district-level policy or budget changes of lasting impact, so those questions would best be directed to the school itself.
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