The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in Math. The lowest is 27% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Fletcher/maynard Academy
Fletcher/Maynard Academy is a regular public school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It operates as part of the Cambridge Public Schools district and sits within the city’s dense urban fabric, where Harvard University, MIT, and a large biotech sector anchor the local economy and culture. The school is located on Windsor Street, in a residential neighborhood of a city that is compact, walkable, and transit-connected across the Charles River from Boston. Housing in Cambridge carries very high costs, and the market remains competitive, with limited inventory and prices well above national and state medians.
The school enrolls roughly a quarter-thousand students, making it a relatively small elementary school for its grade band. Its student body is diverse by race and ethnicity. A substantial share of students are Black, followed by Hispanic students, students of two or more races, Asian students, and White students. Data on economic disadvantage and disability status were not available in the profile, so a reader may wish to ask the school directly about free or reduced-price meal eligibility and special education services. The district has recently launched a universal preschool program for younger children and adopted an inclusion initiative that restructured special education by placing more students with disabilities into general education settings; families whose children receive specialized support may want to understand how that initiative is implemented at the school level.
On the most recent state assessments, which are the NextGen MCAS tests for grades three through five, Fletcher/Maynard Academy’s overall proficiency across tested subjects was in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Middlesex County. In math, roughly a third of students scored proficient or above. In English language arts, the rate was similar. In science, fewer students reached proficiency. Participation rates on the tests were high, above nine in ten students in all three subjects. Longer-term trends show that before the pandemic, proficiency in both ELA and math was higher, in the mid-forties to mid-fifties, then dropped during the 2020-21 school year and has not returned to those earlier levels. The latest year’s results in math show a slight uptick from the prior year, while ELA edged up from a recent low. A parent evaluating academic performance will find these results below what many Cambridge schools achieve, and may want to investigate the school’s instructional strategies and how it supports struggling students.
Because the school serves only elementary grades, no graduation rate is reported, and the school does not offer AP or career pathway programs that would apply to a high school setting. The district itself has made several changes that affect Cambridge families. Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, eighth grade will move to Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, creating a unified 8-12 campus and shifting the upper schools to grades six and seven. The district also adopted a new comprehensive sex education curriculum for upper grades. The FY2025 budget included an increase for schools, with funds directed toward expanded preschool, social-emotional learning, and the inclusion initiative.
For a family considering Fletcher/Maynard Academy, the picture is one of a small, diverse urban elementary school with below-average state test outcomes relative to its county peers. The school’s context is a high-cost, high-opportunity city with strong university and industry resources, but those resources do not translate directly into the school’s reported academic results. A parent may want to visit, talk with teachers, and understand how the school addresses academic growth and whether it has seen changes under the district’s inclusion model. The universal pre-K program means that families of four-year-olds have a new option in the district, and the ongoing reorganization of middle grades may affect how families plan the full K-12 pathway.
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