The top reported proficiency rate is 21% in Science. The lowest is 19% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Brophy
Brophy is an elementary school in Framingham serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It is a regular public school within the Framingham Public Schools district. The school’s enrollment is substantial for an elementary building, and the student body is diverse. A majority of students identify as Hispanic, with White students making up the next largest group, followed by smaller shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. The school does not report the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, nor does it report the share of students with an Individualized Education Program or those classified as English learners, so a parent cannot assess the level of economic or special-education need from the available data.
On the 2024-25 NextGen MCAS assessments, Brophy’s proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science all fell in a range that is well below the midpoint among districts in Middlesex County. The school’s overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile of the county. In math, about one in five students scored at the proficient level or above. In English language arts, the share was similar. In science, the rate was also about one in five. These results represent a decline from earlier years. In the 2016-17 school year, roughly three in ten students were proficient in both math and ELA. Proficiency in ELA rose to about a third by 2017-18 and peaked at roughly a third in 2018-19 before dropping. Math proficiency followed a similar arc, peaking at roughly a third in 2017-18. Since the 2020-21 school year, both subjects have settled in the range of roughly one in five students proficient, with no clear upward trend. A parent may want to ask the school about the academic support strategies in place and how the school is working to raise these numbers.
Brophy is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. It does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. The school’s grade band is kindergarten through fifth grade, and the district recently restructured its elementary configuration. Framingham moved fifth grade to middle school starting in the 2022-23 school year, so Brophy now serves kindergarten through fourth grade. This change affects feeder patterns across the district, and families should be aware that their child would move to a middle school for fifth grade.
Framingham is a mid-sized city about a short drive west of downtown Boston, in the MetroWest subregion. It blends suburban, commercial, and some rural qualities. The city has a large Brazilian American population, with roots dating to the 1980s. Major retail corridors run along Route 9, and the downtown area around Concord Street and the Memorial Building provides some walkable civic fabric, though the city is predominantly car-dependent. Major employers include Bose Corporation, Staples, TJX, Sanofi-Genzyme, and Framingham State University. The city is served by the MBTA commuter rail with a station near downtown. Housing values in the area are high, reflecting pressure from the Greater Boston market, and the cost of living is above the national average. The district recently restructured its elementary grade configurations, moving fifth grade to middle school, a change that affects which school a child attends and when.
Brophy’s test results are a clear soft spot. Proficiency rates in all three tested subjects are low, and the trend over the past several years has been flat to declining. A parent considering this school should look into what academic interventions and supports are in place and how the school is working to improve student outcomes. The school does not report data on chronic absenteeism or discipline, so those dimensions of the school environment are not available to assess. The school also does not report staffing ratios or course access information, so a parent cannot evaluate class sizes or the breadth of programming from this data. The school’s student composition is diverse, and the surrounding city offers a range of amenities and a strong employment base, but the academic results are a clear area of concern.
See more original research from School Decision →