Henderson K-12 Inclusion School Upper, Dorchester MA

Original Research by School Decision on Henderson K-12 Inclusion School Upper

The Henderson K-12 Inclusion School Upper is a regular public school in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, serving students from grade 2 through grade 12. It is part of the Boston Public Schools district. The school’s name signals a stated focus on inclusive education, though the available data does not include details on how that model is structured or what specific supports are in place. A parent considering this school may want to ask the school directly about its inclusion practices and how they serve students across such a wide grade span.

Dorchester is Boston’s largest neighborhood and one of its most diverse, a dense urban area of triple-deckers, small commercial squares, and immigrant-owned businesses. The neighborhood is not a single downtown but a constellation of districts—Fields Corner, Uphams Corner, Codman Square, Ashmont, Lower Mills—each with its own character. The MBTA Red Line runs through Dorchester, with stations at Savin Hill, Fields Corner, Shawmut, and Ashmont, making the school accessible by transit. The area has seen ongoing residential development, particularly near transit stops, and the population continues to grow, absorbing new immigrants. Housing costs are high; a typical home in the zip code is valued well above the national median, and the rent-to-income ratio suggests affordability is a real challenge for many families.

The student body is diverse, with the largest groups being Black and Hispanic students, followed by smaller shares of Asian, white, and multiracial 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 reported in the available records. Because the school covers such a wide grade range—from early elementary through high school—the peer environment shifts significantly by age, and the academic experience for a second grader will look quite different from that of a high school junior.

On the state’s NextGen MCAS assessments, the school’s proficiency rates are low across every tested subject. The overall proficiency index, which averages results across subjects and tested grades, places Henderson Upper in the bottom quartile of all schools in Suffolk County. In English language arts, about one in five students scored at the proficient level or above in the most recent year, and in math the share was slightly lower. Science and social studies proficiency rates were lower still. These are the current numbers, and they represent a multi-year trend. Proficiency in both math and ELA was higher in the years before the pandemic—reaching into the low forties—but has declined since then and has remained flat at the current lower levels over the past few years. A parent weighing this school will want to understand what academic interventions and supports are being used, and how the school is addressing these results.

No graduation rate was available, which could reflect the way the school’s grade span is structured or a reporting gap. The school environment data—including discipline rates, staffing ratios, chronic absenteeism, and course access—was not provided, so it is not possible to speak to the daily conditions inside the building or the range of academic pathways available to older students. The school’s program offerings were also not reported. A parent interested in course offerings, particularly for high schoolers who may need access to Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, or career pathways, should seek that information directly from the school.

The district itself—Boston Public Schools—did not generate a brief with any recent policy or budget changes of note, so this narrative does not reflect any district-level shifts that might affect the school.

Henderson K-12 Inclusion School Upper sits in a vibrant, transit-connected urban neighborhood with a deeply diverse population and a housing market that is expensive and competitive. The school’s test results are a clear soft spot, and a family trying to understand the academic trajectory here would benefit from a direct conversation with the school about its curriculum, intervention strategies, and how it supports students across such a broad age range under one roof.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

75-79%Cohort of 65 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

392 schools plotted. 8 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grades 3-814%

School 14% · District 28% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

English language arts

Grades 3-818%

School 18% · District 29% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Science

Grades 3-87%

School 7% · District 22% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 23% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

This schoolBoston, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income21%Higher-income40%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income55%36 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income15%Higher-income31%16 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income21%Higher-income40%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income22%Higher-income58%37 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income11%Higher-income29%18 pp gap