The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in Science. The lowest is 37% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Raymond E. Shaw Elementary
Raymond E. Shaw Elementary in Millbury serves students in grades three through six, functioning as the upper-elementary campus within a three-school district that also includes a primary school and a combined junior-senior high school. The school operates as a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and sits on its own campus rather than in a downtown setting.
State test results from the most recent year show that in math, roughly two out of every five students scored proficient or above, while in English language arts the figure was slightly lower. Science performance, which is tested in only one of the school’s four grades, was a bit higher. When compared against other schools in Worcester County, Shaw’s overall proficiency across subjects sits above the midpoint of the county’s districts, meaning it lands in the middle-to-upper range among its peers. A longer view of the school’s results reveals a gentle downward drift in English language arts over the past several years, from a level just above half of students proficient to the current level. Math performance has held more steady, hovering around the same range for most of the past decade. A parent considering the school may want to ask about the direction of the ELA trend and what strategies the school is using to address it.
The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students who are Hispanic, Black, Asian, or of two or more races. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are English learners was not available in the public record, so a family looking to understand the school’s economic and support profile would need to inquire directly with the district. The school’s size is moderate for its grade band, with enrollment spread fairly evenly across grades three through six.
Millbury, the town where the school is located, is a suburban community in the Blackstone River Valley with a history of mill industry and a modern commercial corridor anchored by a large shopping and dining complex. The town sits at the intersection of a state route and the Massachusetts Turnpike, giving it easy highway access, and has seen significant commercial development in recent years, including a second highway exit. Housing values in Millbury fall roughly in the middle range for central Massachusetts, well above the national median but below the statewide median. Rental costs follow a similar pattern. The town has an active housing production plan, suggesting ongoing attention to new residential development. The built environment is largely auto-oriented, though the Blackstone River Bikeway provides a recreational trail connection to Worcester.
The district itself has not publicly reported major recent changes such as construction projects, budget overrides, or curriculum overhauls in the past several years, so families may want to check with the school for any current initiatives.
Shaw Elementary presents a mixed academic picture: it performs around the middle of the pack in its county, with a stable math result and a slowly declining ELA result that warrants a closer look. The school’s setting is that of a suburban Massachusetts town with a strong commercial base and moderate housing costs. A parent whose child is entering grades three through six will find a school of typical size for those grades, with a predominantly white student population and without publicly available data on income or special-program enrollment. The lack of that information does not indicate anything about the school’s support systems, but it does mean a parent will need to gather those details from the district to get a full picture.
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