The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in Math. The lowest is 66% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Elmwood
Elmwood is a public school in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, that serves only second and third grades. Because it covers just these two early-elementary years, several metrics that apply to older schools do not apply here: there is no high school graduation rate, no chronic absenteeism data reported at its level, and no state science or civics testing results, as those assessments begin in later grades. A parent looking at this school is looking at the entry point of a child’s formal academic career in one of the higher-performing districts in the region.
Hopkinton itself is an affluent, primarily residential town in the MetroWest region, roughly a 26-mile drive from Boston. It is widely known as the starting point of the Boston Marathon. The town has a historic center around a common, with municipal offices and the public library on Main Street, but the schools sit on separate campuses away from that core. The community is car-dependent, spread over a large area of wooded and semi-rural land. Dell EMC is the major corporate employer and a significant contributor to local tax revenue, including school funding. Hopkinton has been growing, and the housing market reflects that desirability: home values are high relative to national benchmarks, and the rental market is similarly elevated. The town was ranked among the best places to live by Money magazine a number of years ago, and its schools are a central part of that reputation. In recent years, the district opened a new Marathon Elementary School, signaling ongoing investment in facilities.
Elmwood’s academic performance, based on the NextGen MCAS assessments given to its third graders, is strong both in absolute terms and in comparison to other schools. The overall proficiency index across tested subjects lands in the top quartile relative to other districts in Middlesex County, a large and varied county that includes both urban, suburban, and rural systems. In math, a solid majority of students scored at the proficient or advanced level. In English language arts, proficiency was also at a level that many school communities would see as a clear strength. However, there is a notable trend that a parent may wish to explore further. While proficiency rates in both math and ELA were at their highest in earlier years available, they have shown a gradual decline over the past several years. The most recent year’s results, while still strong, are lower than what the school posted pre-pandemic and in the years immediately following. This pattern is not unique to Elmwood, but it is worth watching, especially for families considering the school for its foundational grades.
The student body is predominantly white and Asian, with very small populations of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Information on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, who receive special education services, or who are English learners was not available in the data, so a full picture of the school’s socioeconomic and support-need profile is incomplete. This absence means a parent should check directly with the school or district if they want to understand the range of student needs and how resources are allocated. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it did not have a Title I status reported, which in a district like Hopkinton typically means the school is not receiving federal funds for high-poverty student populations, consistent with the town’s overall affluence.
The district brief did not surface any recent parent-relevant changes, such as curriculum overhauls, boundary adjustments, or tax shifts, so there is no indication of major upheaval or policy change on the horizon. Hopkinton appears to be a stable, well-funded district. For a family looking at Elmwood, the core consideration is that it is a single-purpose school serving two grades in a community with high housing costs and strong test scores. The academic pathway out of Elmwood leads into the district’s intermediate and middle schools, which were not profiled here but are part of the same system. The peer environment at Elmwood reflects the demographics of the town itself, which leans affluent and professionally oriented. A family focused on a strong start in a supportive academic environment, with the understanding that housing in Hopkinton is a significant financial commitment, would find Elmwood fits that profile. The gradual dip in test scores on both subjects over time is the main area to monitor, and a simple conversation with the school about instructional focus and support for students below proficient would close the loop.
See more original research from School Decision →