The top reported proficiency rate is 23% in Math. The lowest is 22% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on John K Tarbox
John K Tarbox is a regular public elementary school in Lawrence, Massachusetts, serving first through fifth grade. It sits within the Lawrence Public Schools district and is one of the city's neighborhood elementary schools. For a parent or resident trying to understand this school, the picture that emerges is of a small, urban elementary serving a nearly entirely Hispanic student body, with academic performance that sits well below state averages and has remained at a low level for several years running.
On state testing, the most recent results show that roughly one in four students met the proficiency benchmark in math, and a similar share did so in English language arts. Science proficiency, tested in fifth grade, falls at about the same rate. These proficiency rates place John K Tarbox in the bottom quartile relative to districts across Essex County, a comparison that includes many communities with very different demographic profiles. Looking at trends over the last nine years, math proficiency has fluctuated from a high of just under half of students reaching proficiency many years ago, to lows around one in eight during the pandemic period, before settling back near the current level. ELA proficiency has stayed in a similar band, with the highest year at roughly one third and recent years hovering around one fifth. There is no sustained upward trend evident in either subject. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report.
The student body is small for a public elementary school and is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with only a handful of white students and virtually no representation from other racial or ethnic groups. Detailed data on economic disadvantage, special education identification, and English learner status were not available in the source material, but given the city's demographics and the school's location, a parent may want to ask the school directly about these figures. No information was provided on staffing ratios, discipline rates, attendance, or course access, which limits the full portrait of daily school life.
The school sits in Lawrence, a densely packed industrial city on the Merrimack River with a long identity as an immigrant gateway. The built environment is dominated by historic brick mill buildings, triple-decker multi-family houses, and narrow city streets. The population is majority Hispanic, with deep Puerto Rican and Dominican roots, and the local economy still includes manufacturing alongside sectors like health care and diagnostic testing. Lawrence General Hospital and a New Balance shoe plant are among the named employers. The city's civic anchors include Lawrence Heritage State Park with its riverfront esplanade, Den Rock Park, and cultural events like the Feast of the Three Saints. The housing market in the area shows a median home value that is modest by Greater Boston standards while still reflecting rapid escalation in recent years, and rents are such that a typical household would spend about a third of income on rent. The county market has seen a sharp increase in pending listings and a slight year-over-year decline in median listing price, though homes are still selling relatively quickly.
The district itself did not yield evidence of specific recent changes or initiatives that would directly shift the experience at Tarbox in the near term. The search for parent-relevant district updates came up empty, so this account reflects the school's current standing rather than any announced reforms.
For a family considering John K Tarbox, the core takeaway is straightforward. This is a neighborhood elementary in a dense urban setting where the student population is nearly all Hispanic and where state test scores have been well below the county median for many years. A parent seeking a small school environment close to home in Lawrence will find it here, but should go into the relationship with clear awareness of the academic performance level and a willingness to engage with the school and district about supports and resources. The missing data on English learner services, special education, and economic disadvantage could be important for understanding what those supports look like, and a direct conversation with the school would fill that gap.
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