The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Bennett-hemenway
Bennett-Hemenway is a regular public elementary school in Natick, Massachusetts, serving kindergarten through fourth grade. It operates as part of the Natick Public Schools district. The school’s enrollment is modest for its grade band, and the student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful share of Asian students and a smaller but present Hispanic population; other racial groups make up a very small portion. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was not available in the source materials, nor were counts for students with individualized education programs or English learner classifications. A parent may want to ask the school directly about the economic and special-education profiles of its families.
State testing results from the Next-Generation MCAS show that Bennett-Hemenway students, across grades three and four, reach proficiency at a rate that places the school above the midpoint when compared with districts across Middlesex County. In both math and English language arts, roughly three out of five students scored at the proficient or advanced level. The school’s performance has fluctuated modestly over the available years, with ELA proficiency ranging from the mid-fifties to the mid-seventies and math proficiency ranging from the mid-fifties to the low sixties, but the overall pattern is one of consistent, solid achievement rather than steady growth or decline. Participation rates on the assessments were very high. Because the school serves only early elementary grades, there is no graduation rate, chronic absenteeism data, or course access information to report; those measures apply to older grade spans.
The school sits within the town of Natick, a community about a short drive west of Boston. Natick blends residential neighborhoods with commercial corridors. Its downtown, Natick Center, is a walkable district with municipal buildings, a library, a common, and arts venues. The town is also home to a major regional mall, several large employers including MathWorks and Cognex Corporation, and the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center. Housing in Natick is expensive, with home values and rents that reflect the broader Boston-area market. The median household income in the region is well above the national average. New development has been concentrated in West Natick near the commuter rail station, and the town’s population has grown steadily over recent decades.
Families considering Bennett-Hemenway should be aware of two recent district-level changes publicly reported for Natick. One elementary school in the district, Johnson Elementary, closed in 2024, which reshaped attendance zones. Meanwhile, a replacement building for Kennedy Middle School broke ground in a recent year, representing a major capital investment in the district’s facilities. These changes may affect where a new family’s child attends school and what middle school experience they can expect after Bennett-Hemenway.
Overall, Bennett-Hemenway offers a solid academic start in a well-resourced suburban district. The school’s test results are strong relative to the county, and the community context is one of high housing costs, steady growth, and active civic institutions. The gaps in the data around economic diversity and special education populations mean a parent may want to explore those topics further with the school to get a fuller picture of the peer environment and student supports.
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