The top reported proficiency rate is 17% in Science. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Brickett Elementary
Brickett Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Lynn, Massachusetts. It is part of the Lynn Public Schools district and sits within a densely populated urban city that is the eighth-largest municipality in the state. Lynn has a deep industrial history, centered on shoemaking and later jet engine manufacturing, and today is known for its immigrant population, historic architecture, a downtown cultural district, and loft-style apartment conversions in former industrial buildings. The city has large public parks, including a Frederick Law Olmsted-designed reservation, oceanfront beaches, and MBTA commuter rail connections to Boston. The overall setting is urban and walkable, with a mix of older multifamily homes and industrial buildings near the school’s neighborhood.
Brickett’s student body is diverse. The largest share of students is Hispanic, with smaller shares of Asian, white, Black, multiracial, and Native American students. The school does not report the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, nor does it report the share of students with individualized education programs or English learner status—these are gaps a parent may want to investigate directly with the school. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate and no high school outcome data to consider.
State testing results from the NextGen MCAS are available for the most recent school year. On the math assessment, about one in eight students scored at the proficient level or above. In English language arts, the share was slightly higher but still roughly one in seven. Science results, which come from a smaller group of tested students, were in a similar range. These proficiency rates place Brickett in the bottom quartile across all tested subjects and grades when compared with other districts in Essex County. The school’s overall proficiency index is well below the median for the county.
The trend data shows that current proficiency levels are lower than they were several years ago. In the years before the pandemic, the school’s ELA proficiency rate was in the range of roughly a third of students meeting the bar, and math was in a similar range. Beginning in the 2020-21 school year, those rates dropped sharply and have remained low, with small year-to-year fluctuations. The most recent numbers, while still low, show a modest uptick in math compared with the prior year. A parent looking at these results would want to understand what academic interventions and supports the school offers and whether the Lynn district’s recent investments in literacy—which include a federal grant for literacy coaching and new curriculum materials—are reaching Brickett.
Other data fields that would typically inform a fuller picture of the school environment, such as chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, staffing ratios, and course access, are not reported for this school. This absence may reflect the nature of elementary schools, where some measures like course access are less applicable, but a parent may still want to ask about these topics during a visit.
At the district level, Lynn Public Schools has seen several recent changes that could affect Brickett families. The district expanded its dual-language English-Spanish program to more elementary schools; it is not clear from the available data whether Brickett is among them. The district received an Early College Promise designation for high schools, which does not directly affect elementary students. A middle school was closed due to declining enrollment and facility costs, and a major high school renovation project is in feasibility study. District budgets have grown significantly in recent years, driven by rising special education, transportation, and staffing costs, and this has contributed to rising property tax bills in the city.
Brickett Elementary is a school where state test proficiency is markedly lower than county averages and where the student body is predominantly Hispanic and economically diverse, though precise economic data is missing. The school sits in an urban, historic city with strong transit links and a mix of older housing stock and recent adaptive reuse development. For families weighing this school, the main considerations are the academic support framework and how the district’s literacy investments and curricular changes play out at the classroom level. The available data does not describe the school’s programs, staff, or culture, so a visit and conversation with the principal would be essential to fill in those blanks.
See more original research from School Decision →