Kathryn P. Stoklosa Middle School, Lowell MA

Original Research by School Decision on Kathryn P. Stoklosa Middle School

Kathryn P. Stoklosa Middle School serves students from grade five through grade eight in the city of Lowell, Massachusetts. It is a regular public school within the Lowell district. The enrollment is large for a middle school. The student body is diverse. A substantial share of students are Asian, and another large share are Hispanic. White students make up a smaller portion, Black students a smaller one still, and the remainder includes students identified as two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Data 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 source data.

Academically, Stoklosa Middle School faces clear challenges. On the state’s NextGen MCAS assessments, proficiency rates in English language arts, math, science, and social studies all fell below the midpoint of what the county’s districts report. The overall proficiency index, which is the average across all tested subjects and grades, landed in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Middlesex County. In English language arts, about three in ten students scored proficient or above. In math, roughly four in ten did. In science, just over two in ten reached that bar, and in social studies, the figure was around two in ten. The data goes back several years, and the pattern is largely flat. On the math side, recent years show a gentle upward move from a low point a few years ago, and the most recent math result is the strongest in that span. English language arts proficiency has bounced around but remains well below the county median. A parent considering this school may want to ask the school directly about its academic improvement strategies and what supports are in place for students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks.

Because the school serves only middle grades, there is no high school graduation rate to report. Information on chronic absenteeism and discipline was also not present in the data. The school’s program offerings, such as whether it provides advanced coursework or specialized electives, were not included either.

The community context is Lowell, a city with a significant public school system. The housing market in the area is expensive. Home values and rents are notably high relative to national benchmarks. The median home value in the zip code area sits well above the national figure. Rents are also elevated. The county-wide housing market shows a low supply of homes and strong demand. For a family renting or buying in this area, housing costs are a major factor. Data on recent district-level changes or initiatives for Lowell was searched but little of lasting public impact was found. The district page listed no recent strategic priorities, budget shifts, or program additions that met the threshold for inclusion.

Stoklosa serves a large, diverse student population in a pricey housing market. Its academic performance, by state measures, is below the middle of the pack for Middlesex County, and the school has not shown a strong upward trend in test scores over the past several years. Families weighing this school will want to understand what academic supports, enrichment opportunities, and school culture look like on the ground, as the data does not fill in those details.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grades 3-839%

School 39% · District 31% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

English language arts

Grades 3-831%

School 31% · District 28% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Science

Grades 3-824%

School 24% · District 21% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 26% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

This schoolLowell, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income22%Higher-income48%26 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income19%Higher-income41%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income28%Higher-income41%12 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income35%Higher-income62%27 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income26%Higher-income50%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income35%Higher-income52%17 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income28%Higher-income59%32 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income34%Higher-income78%44 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income38%Higher-income57%19 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income33%Higher-income61%28 pp gap