The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in Science. The lowest is 34% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Great Oak
GreatOak is a regular public elementary school in Danvers, Massachusetts, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Danvers district, a system that includes four other elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The school sits in a residential neighborhood in a town that has evolved from its agricultural roots into a suburban community with commercial strips, a historic downtown, and a rail trail that connects schools to parks and neighboring towns. Danvers is part of the North Shore region, and its housing market is expensive by national standards, a reality driven by proximity to Boston and the area’s employment base. The town has a mix of older homes and newer developments, and the former Danvers State Hospital site has seen redevelopment, though no large new housing projects have been prominently reported.
Academically, Great Oak’s state test results in the most recent year are below the midpoint among districts in Essex County when looking at overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. In math and English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above is lower than the county median. Science performance, which is tested at fifth grade only, comes in higher than math or ELA but still sits in a modest range. Perhaps more notable than the current level is the trend. Over the past several years, proficiency in ELA has declined steadily, from a point where more than half of students met the bar to just over a third in the most recent year. Math has been more erratic, with one recent year showing a clear majority proficient, only to drop back to a level similar to ELA in the most recent year. This pattern may reflect broader post-pandemic challenges, but a parent should consider the direction and ask the school what supports are in place to address it.
The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic minority and smaller shares of Black and multiracial students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are English learners is not available in the information reviewed, so it is difficult to assess the school’s programmatic supports for those groups. A parent visiting the school would want to ask directly about how the school serves diverse learners and what the school’s approach to intervention and enrichment looks like. The school’s enrollment is moderate for an elementary building, and it is one of several elementary options within Danvers, meaning neighborhood boundaries likely determine attendance.
The community context is largely suburban, with the rail trail providing a walkable connection between some schools and downtown. Multiple MBTA bus routes run through the town, and the commercial corridors host major retail and car dealerships. Employers in Danvers include a mix of medical device firms, a community college, and retail, which anchors the local economy. For a family considering Great Oak, the town offers a typical North Shore suburban lifestyle with access to parks, a marina, and a library.
Because Great Oak is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate or high school outcome data to report. The data that is present points to a school that has seen academic performance slip relative to the county average, especially in recent years. Without more information on staffing, discipline, attendance, or program offerings, the picture of what happens inside the building is incomplete. For a parent looking for a neighborhood elementary school with a comfortable-sized student body in a town with strong commercial and civic amenities, Great Oak is a plausible option. Those who weigh test results heavily will want to explore how the district plans to reverse the downward trend and what classroom-level supports are available for students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks.
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