Original Research by School Decision on Rise Academy
RISE Academy is a public alternative school in Lawrence, Massachusetts, serving grades seven through twelve. It is part of the Lawrence Public Schools district. The school’s designation as an alternative school signals that it is designed for students whose needs may not be well met in a traditional comprehensive high school setting. This is the central fact about this school, and it shapes everything else about the experience a family should expect.
The school is small, with a total enrollment that is modest for a secondary school serving seven grade levels. The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, reflecting the city’s broader demographic. Lawrence is a densely populated, mid-sized industrial city on the Merrimack River with a strong working-class and immigrant identity, known historically as the “Immigrant City.” Its population is largely Latino, with deep Puerto Rican and Dominican roots, and the city’s culture and economy reflect that. The school is located at 530 Broadway Street, in the heart of the city’s dense urban fabric of brick mill buildings, triple-decker homes, and narrow streets. The area is walkable, with a downtown centered on Common Street and a riverfront esplanade at Lawrence Heritage State Park.
State testing data for RISE Academy was not available. This is not unusual for a small alternative school, which may not report standardized assessment results in the same way as a traditional school, or may have too few students in tested grades to produce publicly reported figures. A parent should ask the school directly about how academic progress is measured and what benchmarks are used. Similarly, the school’s four-year graduation rate and chronic absenteeism rate were not reported. Without this data, it is not possible to compare the school’s academic outcomes to other schools in Essex County. The school’s comparison fact-set, which would have placed it relative to districts in the county, was marked as not applicable because the data was missing.
Other common data points are also absent. Information on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, the number of students with disabilities, and the English learner population was not provided. There is no data on discipline, course access, staffing ratios, or attendance. The school’s website was not included in the data, so a family looking for more detail would need to contact the school or the Lawrence district office directly.
RISE Academy’s core characteristics are its alternative structure and its place within Lawrence’s urban public school system. For families considering this school, the most important step is to understand what the alternative program offers: the size of classes, the support services available, the curriculum, and the pathway to a diploma. The school’s small size may mean more individualized attention, but it also may mean fewer course options than a large comprehensive high school. The absence of publicly reported test scores and graduation rates means that a family’s decision will rely heavily on direct conversation with the school’s staff and a visit to see the program in action. Lawrence itself is a city with a strong sense of community, a range of civic anchors including parks and cultural events, and a history of serving immigrant families. The city’s housing market is relatively affordable for the Boston metro area, with a mix of multi-family homes and ongoing redevelopment of former mill buildings. No recent district-level changes that would affect parents were identified in available sources.
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