The top reported proficiency rate is 71% in Science. The lowest is 66% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Deer Hill
Deer Hill is an upper elementary school in Cohasset, Massachusetts, serving grades three through five within the Cohasset public school district. As a regular public school, it is one of three school buildings in the town, sitting adjacent to the Osgood Elementary School (pre-kindergarten through second grade) and separated from the combined middle and high school campus.
On the Massachusetts NextGen MCAS assessments, Deer Hill’s students posted proficiency rates that, when averaged across tested subjects, place the school above the midpoint relative to other districts in Norfolk County. In the most recent testing year, math and English language arts proficiency rates were broadly similar, with science—tested only in grade five—coming in at a higher level. Looking back over several years, math scores show a general upward arc from a lower starting point, while English language arts has moved within a range, with no sustained trend in either direction. The school saw full participation in testing, which means results reflect virtually all enrolled students.
The student body is predominantly white and relatively homogeneous in racial and ethnic composition. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are English learners is not reported, so a parent looking to understand economic or language diversity would need to ask the district directly. The same applies to discipline and attendance measures, which were not available in the data. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate or college-career readiness data to consider.
Cohasset itself is an affluent residential coastal town on the South Shore of Massachusetts, roughly twenty miles southeast of Boston. Its character is defined by rocky shoreline, three public beaches, a harbor with yacht and sailing clubs, and extensive preserved open space including Wompatuck State Park. The town’s commercial footprint is limited; the historic common anchors civic life, but schools are on separate campuses away from the center. The MBTA commuter rail provides access to Boston. Housing values reflect the town’s desirability: the local market is among the higher-priced in the region, with a median listing price well above the state benchmark. The market shows moderate activity, with homes selling after a few weeks on average. This context shapes the peer environment at Deer Hill, where the student population comes from families in a high-cost housing area.
For a parent or resident, Deer Hill fits the profile of a stable, well-performing elementary school in an affluent suburb. Academic proficiency is solidly above the county median, the school is small enough that students move through the upper elementary years in a contained setting, and the district’s other elementary school feeds into the same middle and high school pathway. The main gaps in available information are around student support categories and school climate metrics—those are areas a family would want to investigate directly through school visits or conversations with staff. There is no evidence of major recent changes or disruptions in the district that would affect the school’s operation.
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