Mary Rowlandson Elementary, Lancaster MA

Original Research by School Decision on Mary Rowlandson Elementary

Mary Rowlandson Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through grade five in Lancaster, a historic, primarily residential town in Worcester County. It is one of the elementary schools within the Nashoba Regional School District, which spans multiple communities. The school occupies a campus separate from the modest town center along Main Street, where civic anchors like the Thayer Memorial Library and Town Hall are located. Lancaster retains a rural-suburban character with large-lot residential areas and a car-dependent commute pattern; the mean travel time to work is substantial, and there is no fixed-route public transit within the town.

On state assessments, math results for the most recent testing year show a little over half of students meeting proficiency standards. In English language arts, about two out of five students scored proficient or above. Science results, which are tested only at grade five, hover around the same midpoint. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint when compared against districts across Worcester County. Looking at multi-year trends, math proficiency has moved upward from a low point several years ago, though the most recent year slipped back somewhat. ELA proficiency has declined over the same period, from a higher mark several years ago to the current level. Parents may want to discuss these trends with the school to understand the specific factors at play.

The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic enrollment that represents a meaningful share and small numbers of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, students with disabilities, and English learners was not available, so a family should ask the school directly about these supports. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and information about program offerings such as enrichment or specialized instruction was not provided in the available records.

The surrounding housing market carries a high price tag. Lancaster’s median home value is well above the national figure, and the area has seen steady residential expansion with moderate population growth. The town’s commercial activity is modest, concentrated along main corridors, and the school district itself is a significant institutional employer along with a private special education school on site. There are several private school options in the town, but the public elementary path for Lancaster children runs through Mary Rowlandson.

This is a mid-sized elementary school in a district that serves a region of towns with somewhat separated civic and school campuses. The academic picture is mixed: math results are relatively stronger than reading, and the trend in ELA invites a closer look. The school’s performance compared to others in the county is above average overall, but the recent declines in reading proficiency are worth noting. Families weighing this school should factor in the limited public transit, the high cost of housing, and the rural-suburban setting where most daily trips require a car.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grades 3-855%

School 55% · District 60% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

English language arts

Grades 3-840%

School 40% · District 58% · ▼ 18 pts below district

even with state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Science

Grades 3-853%

School 53% · District 56% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

This schoolNashoba, 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-income27%Higher-income32%5 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income49%5 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income26%Higher-income48%22 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income32%Higher-income42%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income40%Higher-income49%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income61%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income42%Higher-income65%23 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income44%Higher-income58%14 pp gap