The top reported proficiency rate is 19% in Math. The lowest is 6% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on East Middle School
East Middle School serves grades six through eight in Brockton, a mid-sized urban city south of Boston that functions as a regional commercial hub. Brockton has a dense, built-up character with residential neighborhoods, commercial corridors, and industrial pockets. It is the city with one of the largest Cape Verdean American communities in the country and, as of 2020, became the first city in New England with a majority-Black population. The school draws its students from the surrounding east-side neighborhoods.
The student body reflects Brockton’s demographic makeup. The largest racial group is Black students, who make up the clear majority of enrollment. Hispanic students form the next largest group, followed by white students. There are small numbers of students who identify as two or more races, Asian, or American Indian or Alaska Native. The school’s enrollment size is typical for a middle school, with a distribution that runs a bit smaller in sixth grade and larger in seventh and eighth grades. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was not available in the source material, nor were counts of students with disabilities or English learners.
On the Massachusetts NextGen MCAS assessments, East Middle School’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed it in the bottom quartile relative to other school districts in Plymouth County. This is a broad comparison of the school’s performance against the average of districts across the county, and the position is based on a composite measure of math, English language arts, science, and social studies results.
In math and English language arts, roughly one in five students scored at the proficient level or above. The proficiency rates in science and social studies were considerably lower, with a very small share of students meeting the standard. The school’s multi-year trend data in ELA shows that proficiency has fluctuated near the same general range over roughly the past decade, with the most recent year’s figure landing near the higher end of that range. In math, the trend has followed a similar pattern, with a low point in 2021 and a recovery since then that brings the recent figure to a level not seen in several years. A parent may want to discuss with the school what academic interventions and supports are in place, particularly in science and social studies, where the performance is weakest.
As a middle school that serves only grades six through eight, there is no graduation rate to report, which is expected for this grade band.
The school is a regular public school within the Brockton Public Schools district. The district itself has been classified by the state as requiring assistance or intervention, a designation that carries state-level oversight. Publicly reported events at Brockton High School in early 2024, involving a request for National Guard assistance to address violence and staffing shortages, drew widespread attention to the district’s broader challenges with safety and staffing. Those events occurred at the high school level, but they situate the middle school within a district under scrutiny.
Housing in Brockton’s zip code is priced near the middle of the Plymouth County market. The median listing price in the county has shown slight year-over-year softness, and homes are spending about a month on the market on average, indicating a relatively brisk sales pace. For families considering moving into the attendance zone, the market is active but not overheated.
East Middle School is a large urban public school serving a diverse student body in a city with a strong sense of cultural identity. Its academic performance, across multiple subjects and over several years, has been low relative to other schools in the county. The district context includes formal state intervention and high-profile safety challenges at the high school. The profile fits a family that is rooted in Brockton’s east side or is looking at housing options there, who values the diversity and community the school represents, and who will want to engage directly with the school about academic support and the district’s improvement efforts.
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