The top reported proficiency rate is 68% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Memorial
Memorial is an elementary school in Natick serving kindergarten through fourth grade. It is a regular public school, part of the Natick district. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with Asian, two or more races, Hispanic, and Black students making up smaller shares. The enrollment is large for a K-4 building.
On the 2024-25 NextGen MCAS, roughly two-thirds of Memorial’s students scored at or above proficiency in both math and English language arts. That rate places the school in the top quartile among districts in Middlesex County, a high-performing frame. The multi-year trend shows some variation. In English, the proficiency rate was over seven in ten in the years just before the pandemic, dipped to about six in ten in 2022-23, and has since climbed back to roughly two-thirds. In math, the pre-COVID high was close to eight in ten, and the most recent result of about two-thirds is in line with the school’s 2016-17 and 2021-22 figures. The trend shows recovery but not a return to the peak. A parent may want to ask the school about supports for students who are not meeting the bar, especially given the shift over those years.
Because Memorial serves only through fourth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and course access data for high school programs does not apply here. Chronic absenteeism data was not available. Information on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was also not reported, so the economic profile of the student body relative to the town is not directly measurable from the data provided.
Natick is a town with a mix of residential neighborhoods and commercial districts, about ten miles west of Boston. Its downtown, Natick Center, has a walkable cultural district anchored by the Center for Arts in Natick, the Morse Institute Library, and the Natick Common. West Natick is a separate commercial hub with many condominiums and apartments near the commuter rail station. Major employers include MathWorks, Cognex Corporation, and the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center. The town has seen steady population growth and recent construction, including a new middle school that broke ground. The Johnson Elementary School was shut down in 2024, which changed school assignment zones for families. Housing values and rents in the area are high relative to national benchmarks, reflecting the desirability of the broader region.
For a family considering Memorial, the picture is of a high-performing elementary school in an affluent, growing suburb with strong commuter access to Boston. The academic results are solid and place the school well above the median of its county peers. The recent trend in proficiency has been uneven, so a family with a child who may need extra support would want to understand what interventions are in place. The shutdown of one elementary school in the district means assignment boundaries have shifted, which is worth verifying with the district for any given address. The town itself offers a walkable downtown, commuter rail, and a range of civic amenities, but the housing market is expensive. This is a school that fits a family looking for a high-performing elementary in a well-resourced district, with the understanding that the academic trajectory has had some post-pandemic variability.
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