The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in Science. The lowest is 29% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Silver Hill Elementary School
Silver Hill Elementary School serves students in kindergarten through fourth grade in Haverhill, a mid-sized city on the Merrimack River. The school is a regular public school within the Haverhill district, and its grade band means it provides the entry point to formal schooling for children in its attendance area before they move on to upper elementary and middle school grades elsewhere in the city.
The student body reflects the diversity of Haverhill. The largest group of students is Hispanic, and white students also make up a substantial share of the population. Smaller groups of Black, Asian, and multiracial students are also present. Data on how many students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, receive special education services, or are English learners was not available in the source data, so a family cannot see those specific figures from this report.
On the Massachusetts NextGen MCAS assessments, Silver Hill’s overall proficiency across tested subjects falls below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Essex County. In the most recent testing year, roughly three in ten students scored proficient or above in both math and English language arts. The science results, from a slightly earlier year, were a bit higher, with just over a third of students reaching proficiency. These are the school’s latest available results, and they are worth a close look from any parent trying to gauge academic expectations. The trend data for math and ELA over the last several years shows a pattern of fluctuation rather than steady improvement. In math, proficiency rates moved in a range from the low to high thirties in recent years, while in ELA the range has been more variable, with a low point in the most recent stretch. The 2024-25 year’s performance in both subjects was lower than the school’s pre-pandemic results, a pattern that families may want to discuss with the administration to understand the school’s approach to academic recovery and support.
Because Silver Hill ends at fourth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, as the school does not serve high school grades. This is not a missing metric but one that simply does not apply to the school’s grade configuration.
Haverhill itself blends residential neighborhoods with commercial and light-industrial activity. The city has a historic downtown along the Merrimack River, an MBTA commuter rail station, and a range of civic anchors including Winnekenni Castle and public parks. The school shares the district with other elementary schools in distinct neighborhoods, including the Bradford section across the river. The housing market in the zip code area shows home values in a middle range, and rents are similarly positioned. A search for recent district-level changes did not surface major new initiatives or disruptions, so families looking for news about curriculum shifts or building projects may want to contact the district directly for the most current information.
Silver Hill is a medium-sized elementary school, and its student composition is diverse. Its academic proficiency numbers are below the county median, which is a fact a parent will want to weigh alongside their own assessment of the school’s instruction, family engagement, and the specific needs of their child. What is not in the data is a read on the school’s climate, the strength of its early literacy or math interventions, or how it supports students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks. Those are questions best answered by a visit to the school grounds and a conversation with the principal and teachers.
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