The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in Science. The lowest is 34% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Gen John J Stefanik
Gen John J Stefanik is a regular public elementary school in Chicopee, Massachusetts, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It is one of several elementary schools within the Chicopee district, a mixed-use city that developed as a collection of former mill villages and now has a blue-collar, industrial-residential character. The school is located on Meadow Street in the Willimansett section of the city.
The student body is large for an elementary school. The majority of students are Hispanic, with white students representing the next largest group, followed by smaller shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. The school does not report counts for students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch or for students with individualized education plans; a parent who wants to know the share of students receiving economic or special education support would need to ask the school or district directly.
On the NextGen MCAS, the state assessment, Stefanik's results from the most recent testing year show ELA proficiency below the midpoint, with roughly a third of students meeting the proficient or higher threshold. Math proficiency is in a similar range. Science, which is tested only in fifth grade among the elementary grades, shows a stronger outcome, with about half of students reaching proficiency. When compared across Hampden County districts, Stefanik's overall proficiency index sits in the top quartile, meaning that despite the modest percentages, some other schools in the county perform lower. This is a useful lens: the school's performance is not exceptional in absolute terms, but it holds a relatively stronger position within its own county context than the raw numbers alone might suggest.
Looking at the trend over time, both reading and math proficiency have followed a downward arc since roughly the mid-2010s. Reading was around the halfway mark in the 2016-17 school year and has declined since, with some fluctuation. The most recent reading figure is a slight uptick from the low point a couple of years ago but remains well below the earlier high. Math followed a similar pattern: strong in 2016-17, then a drop, and it has hovered around one-third in recent years with no sustained recovery to earlier levels. A parent may want to ask the school about what instructional strategies or supports are in place and whether the recent flattening signals a turnaround.
Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report. The data also do not include chronic absenteeism figures, which limits what can be said about attendance patterns. Course access and staffing details were not available in the source data, so a parent would need to learn about class sizes, specialist offerings, and after-school programming directly from the school.
Chicopee itself is a mid-sized industrial city with a practical, unpolished feel. It is crisscrossed by interstate highways and home to Westover Air Reserve Base, a major employer and physical presence. Housing in the area is more affordable than in many parts of the state. The city's economy includes health care, specialty manufacturing, and services. Growth has been modest and infill-oriented, with most open land already developed. The school system did not appear to have undergone any major recent restructuring, budget overrides, or building projects that would shift a family's experience meaningfully.
For a family considering Stefanik, the picture is mixed. The school serves a large, diverse elementary population in a district that is not among the highest-performing in the state. The proficiency numbers are below what a family accustomed to strong academic scores might hope for, but the county-wide comparison suggests the school is not at the bottom. The trend is something to monitor: the drop from earlier years has not been reversed. The school is a straightforward neighborhood elementary option in a middle-of-the-road district, and a parent would benefit from visiting and asking about how the school supports students who are below grade-level benchmarks in reading and math.
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