The top reported proficiency rate is 21% in Science. The lowest is 13% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Robert L Ford
Robert L Ford sits in the dense urban fabric of Lynn, a city shaped by its industrial past and present-day immigrant population, with a downtown cultural district and a mix of residential streets and redeveloped mill buildings. The school itself serves grades one through five as a regular public elementary school in the Lynn district.
The student body is diverse by racial and ethnic background, with the majority of students identifying as Hispanic. There are also smaller populations of students who are Black, white, Asian, and multiracial. The data does not include figures for students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, or for students who receive special education services or English learner support, so a parent who wants to understand the economic or linguistic makeup of the school would need to ask the school or district directly.
On the Massachusetts Next Generation MCAS assessments, Robert L Ford’s proficiency rates for the most recent year are meaningfully below the median among districts in Essex County, falling in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. In both math and English language arts, about one in eight students scored at the proficient or above level. In science, roughly one in five students reached that bar. This pattern has been in place for some time. Looking back over the past several years, the school’s ELA and math proficiency rates were higher around the 2018-2019 school year, when about a third of students tested proficient, but have since declined and stayed lower, with recent single-year rates falling to about one in ten or one in seven students. The current numbers are broadly in the same range as the past few years.
Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and the data does not reflect course access, staffing ratios, attendance, or disciplinary information. A parent considering this school may want to ask the school about class sizes, turnover among teachers, and how the school supports students who are not yet at grade level, questions the available district and school data do not directly answer.
The Lynn district itself has several publicly reported developments that affect the system as a whole. The district received a significant federal literacy grant to fund coaching, curriculum, and professional development over a multi-year period. The school committee expanded the dual-language program to three elementary schools. The district also gained Early College Promise and High Quality College and Career Pathway designations, creating tuition-free college credit opportunities at the high school level. At the same time, the district closed Thurgood Marshall Middle School due to declining enrollment and facility costs, and Lynn English High School has entered a feasibility study process that could lead to a major renovation or replacement. The district’s budget has grown substantially in recent years, driven by special education, transportation, and staffing costs, and that growth has been connected to rising property tax bills in the city.
For a family, Robert L Ford is a neighborhood elementary school in an urban district with a strong immigrant community and a dense, walkable setting. The academic proficiency numbers are low relative to other districts in the county, and the trend over the past several years suggests that the school has not returned to its pre-pandemic performance levels. The school does not offer high school programs, and the district’s recent investments in literacy and dual-language programming may be relevant if those are priorities for a family. A parent moving to the area would likely want to talk with the school directly about how it addresses literacy and math instruction for students who arrive below grade level, and to understand what student supports are actually in place.
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