The top reported proficiency rate is 83% in Science. The lowest is 55% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Leverett Elementary
Leverett Elementary is the single public school in the small, rural town of Leverett, Massachusetts, serving students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. The school sits in Leverett Center, a tiny village crossroads where the town hall, post office, and library are also clustered. The town itself, spread across winding country roads and scattered homes, has no commercial downtown, no public transit, and a car-dependent character. Its population is a mix of teachers, students, farmers, artists, and professionals, many of whom commute to nearby Amherst or Northampton. Leverett is part of the Erving School Union #28 for elementary grades and sends its seventh- and eighth-graders to Amherst Regional Middle School and its high school students to Amherst Regional High School, so the elementary school is the only school parents in town will directly engage with during the early years.
Academically, Leverett Elementary performs at a level that places it in the top quartile among all districts in Franklin County for overall proficiency across tested subjects. On the most recent state assessments, the school showed a strong proficiency rate in English language arts, while math proficiency was somewhat lower but still above the median for the county. Science results, although based on a smaller group of test-takers, were notably high, suggesting a particular strength in that subject. The school’s test participation was complete, which is a positive sign for data reliability. However, looking back over time, the school’s proficiency rates have varied considerably from year to year, bouncing up and down in both ELA and math, with especially low points during the pandemic years. This volatility may be partly due to the small size of each grade cohort — a handful of students can shift the numbers noticeably — but a parent may want to ask the school about how it supports consistent learning growth from year to year.
The student body is small, and the demographic picture is largely homogeneous. The overwhelming majority of students are white, with a modest share identifying as two or more races and very small numbers of Hispanic and Asian students. No data was available on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, nor on the number of students with disabilities or English learners. Those are meaningful gaps for a family trying to understand the school’s socioeconomic and support context, so a parent may want to inquire directly about those figures.
The school’s rural setting shapes the daily experience. Leverett is a place where children walk or are driven to a single school building; there is no street life or commercial strip. The town has invested in a new library and a safety complex for fire, police, and highway departments, and it received a state grant to bring high-speed broadband, addressing a long-standing connectivity gap. Housing in the area is relatively expensive compared to national averages, reflecting the broader Pioneer Valley market, though the local market shows modest inventory and stable pricing.
Leverett Elementary is well-suited for families who want a small, community-based elementary school in a quiet rural town, with a strong academic record relative to other Franklin County schools. The absence of data on economic and special-education populations means a family with specific support needs should follow up directly. And because the school ends at sixth grade, the transition to a much larger regional middle school in Amherst is an important part of the long-term educational pathway.
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