Linden, Malden MA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Linden

Linden is a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade regular public school in Malden, part of the Malden Public Schools district. It serves students from early elementary through middle school.

On state assessments, Linden's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Middlesex County, below the midpoint of that broad comparison set. In the most recent testing year, math and English language arts proficiency rates were each under two-fifths of students tested, and science proficiency was in a similar range. Social studies, tested only at the eighth-grade level, was slightly higher but still below half of test-takers. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how the school supports students at different levels. The trend data offers a longer view. In the years before the pandemic, ELA proficiency exceeded half of students, and math was near half. Since then, both subjects have drifted lower, with the most recent years showing a decline from those earlier levels. The pattern is consistent across the period: the school has not yet returned to its pre-pandemic baseline.

The student body is notably diverse. Asian, Hispanic, and white students each make up roughly a quarter of the enrollment, and Black students account for about a fifth. The remainder includes students who identify as two or more races, with small numbers of American Indian or Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. This composition reflects the city it serves. Malden is a densely populated city just north of Boston, with a high share of foreign-born residents and sizable Chinese, Vietnamese, and Indian communities. The city has good transit connections to Boston via the MBTA Orange Line and commuter rail, and its built environment is urban, with a mix of multi-family homes and commercial corridors. The elementary school buildings in Malden were rebuilt in the late 1990s, and Linden is one of those five schools, distributed across the city's neighborhoods rather than clustered on a single campus. Data on the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, receiving special education services, or classified as English learners was not available in the source material. A parent seeking a fuller picture of student supports and economic context may want to ask the school directly.

Because Linden serves grades K through 8, it does not have a graduation rate to report. The school also does not publish data on chronic absenteeism or discipline in the available records. Program offerings such as music, arts, language, or specialized academic tracks were not listed in the source data.

The surrounding housing market carries the costs typical of the greater Boston area. Home values are high, and rents are elevated relative to the national median. The county market shows a low supply of homes relative to demand, with homes tending to sell quickly. For a family considering moving into the attendance area, this means housing costs are a significant factor. Malden's population grew in the decade leading up to 2020 and has since held relatively steady, with ongoing development including new health center construction and climate planning efforts by the city.

Linden offers a K-8 pathway in a diverse, urban community with transit access to Boston. Its academic proficiency numbers are below the county median and have declined from pre-pandemic levels, a pattern a parent would want to investigate further with the school. The school's size is moderate for its grade span, and its student body reflects the rich demographic variety of Malden itself.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grades 3-837%

School 37% · District 34% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

English language arts

Grades 3-838%

School 38% · District 34% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Science

Grades 3-833%

School 33% · District 31% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 841%

School 41% · District 33% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

This schoolMalden, 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 3Lower-income22%Higher-income43%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income23%Higher-income48%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income18%Higher-income21%4 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income24%Higher-income48%24 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income52%Higher-income74%22 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income44%Higher-income68%24 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income29%Higher-income50%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income22%Higher-income45%23 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income23%Higher-income54%31 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income12%Higher-income33%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income24%Higher-income60%37 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income39%Higher-income85%46 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income27%Higher-income49%22 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income23%Higher-income54%31 pp gap