The top reported proficiency rate is 6% in Science. The lowest is 2% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kelly Elementary
Kelly Elementary is a regular public school in Holyoke, Massachusetts, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is one of the elementary schools within the Holyoke Public Schools district. The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with small shares of White, Black, and multiracial students. The school’s enrollment is moderate for an elementary school spanning these grades. Data on economic disadvantage and special education classifications was not available in the source materials.
On state standardized assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, the share of students scoring proficient or above was very low in math, reading and writing (ELA), and science. The same pattern has held for several years: proficiency rates in math and ELA have consistently been below a tenth of students, with some years showing even lower results. When compared across districts in Hampden County, Kelly Elementary’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. A parent reviewing these results would see a pattern of sustained low academic attainment that warrants close conversation with the school about instructional support and intervention.
The school is part of the Holyoke Public Schools district, which remains under state receivership. The district is classified by the state as “requiring assistance or intervention,” meaning state oversight continues and local school committee authority is limited. The district’s revenue comes predominantly from state sources, with a much smaller share from local property taxes, a structure that ties school programming closely to state funding decisions.
Holyoke itself is a small industrial city with a history rooted in paper manufacturing, now home to a mix of legacy industry, residential neighborhoods, and the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center. Downtown is laid out on a grid, with a canal system, heritage park, and a clock tower as visible anchors. The city’s population has declined from a mid-twentieth-century peak, but has been relatively stable in recent years. Housing in the area, based on the county market data, shows a modest median listing price and rental costs, with a tight market that has seen a notable increase in pending listings over the past year.
Kelly Elementary is a neighborhood school in a city whose public school system is navigating a long period of outside oversight. The academic data available shows very low proficiency rates across tested subjects, a consistent pattern that has not shifted upward in recent years. A family considering this school would want to explore what academic supports, intervention programs, and enrichment the school offers, and how the district’s receivership status influences day-to-day instruction and resources. The peer environment is one where most students share a Hispanic background, and the school serves an early childhood through elementary age range that does not extend into the testing years of middle or high school. For those seeking a school with stronger measured academic outcomes, other options in the region may be worth examining.
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