The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in Math. The lowest is 56% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Morse
Morse is a regular public elementary school in Cambridge, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. With an enrollment of a few hundred students, it is a modest-sized school for its grade band. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse: white students form the largest share, followed by Black, Asian, multiracial, and Hispanic students. The school does not report the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, nor the shares of students with disabilities or English learners. A parent may want to ask the school directly about these figures, as they often affect how a school allocates support staff and resources.
Academically, Morse posts solid results on Massachusetts state assessments. The school’s overall proficiency rate across tested subjects places it above the midpoint among districts in Middlesex County. In both math and English language arts, roughly six in ten students scored proficient or above. In science, where testing begins later in elementary grades, the rate was somewhat lower, though still above half of tested students. The school’s participation rates on the assessments were very high, which lends confidence to the results.
Over the past several years, Morse’s math proficiency has followed an upward trajectory, rising from just half of students proficient in 2017 to a consistently higher range in recent years. English language arts proficiency has fluctuated more, moving between about half and two-thirds of students, with the most recent year’s figure near the upper end of that range. A parent looking at year-to-year variation should consider that small schools can see larger swings from one cohort to the next.
Morse sits within the Cambridge Public Schools system, a district that has been actively reshaping its programming. The district launched a universal preschool program in fall 2024, offering free pre-K to all four-year-olds in the city, which means families with a child entering Morse’s pre-K may be eligible. In 2022, the district began a major inclusion initiative, moving students with disabilities from separate classrooms into general education settings with added support. This restructuring may matter to families of students who receive special education services. The district also approved a new health curriculum for grades 7–12, though that does not directly affect Morse’s K–5 grades. For the 2025–2026 school year, eighth grade will move to the high school campus, a change that will not touch Morse’s elementary students but signals ongoing reorganization.
The school is located in the city of Cambridge, a dense urban community of roughly 120,000 people. Harvard University and MIT are embedded in the city, and Kendall Square is a center of biotech and tech employment. Real estate in Cambridge is expensive—home values and rents are well above national and state medians. The city is compact, walkable, and connected by MBTA subway lines to Boston. For a family considering Morse, the school is part of a high-demand, high-cost housing market where many residents work in academia, healthcare, or technology. Property tax increases in the recent city budget supported expanded preschool, social-emotional learning, and the inclusion initiative, suggesting continued investment in schools.
Morse does not report certain measures that some families look for, such as chronic absenteeism rates, staffing ratios, or discipline data. For a school serving only up to fifth grade, there are no high school graduation rates to consider. A parent interested in class sizes or teacher experience may need to source that information from the school or district.
Overall, Morse offers an academically above-average elementary experience within a district that is actively innovating its special education and early childhood offerings. Its urban setting, strong test results, and diverse student body will appeal to many Cambridge families. The missing economic and special-population data means a parent should follow up with the school to get a fuller picture of how it supports all students.
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