The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in Math. The lowest is 32% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on James B Congdon
James B Congdon is a regular public elementary school in New Bedford, Massachusetts, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It sits within the New Bedford Public Schools district, a system that is experiencing declining enrollment and has adopted a new strategic plan for 2024–2027 focused on early childhood education, literacy, college and career readiness, and family engagement. For a parent considering this school, the main question is what academic foundation it provides and what the surrounding community looks like.
On state testing, Congdon’s results show a mixed picture. In math, roughly half of students scored at the proficient level or above in the most recent year. In English language arts, that figure was lower, around one-third. Science proficiency fell between the two. A multi-year look at the data reveals a clear trend: the school posted stronger results in the years before the pandemic, with both math and ELA proficiency rates reaching notably higher levels around 2019. Since then, rates have declined and have not returned to prior highs. The current performance places the school below the midpoint among districts in Bristol County for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. A parent may want to ask the school how it is working to reverse that downward trend and whether the district’s literacy and early childhood initiatives are reaching this building.
The student body of about 300 children is diverse. Roughly two-fifths of students are Hispanic, two-fifths are White, and about one-sixth are Black, with smaller shares of multiracial, Asian, and Native American students. This mix gives the school a notably balanced peer environment compared to many schools in the region. Information on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, receive special education services, or are classified as English learners was not available in the data provided. A parent looking to understand the full support landscape would want to ask the school directly about these figures, as they are important for gauging additional resources and programs.
The setting is the city of New Bedford, a dense, historically industrial port that remains the highest-grossing commercial fishing port in the country. The city has a strong Portuguese-American cultural presence, a growing offshore wind industry, and a walkable downtown with the Whaling National Historical Park and other civic anchors. Housing costs in the area reflect a market where the median home value is above the national average but below the state average, and rents have been rising. For a family moving to the area, the school sits in a neighborhood context shaped by the city’s working waterfront and ongoing economic development efforts.
The district as a whole has been dealing with declining enrollment, which has led to public discussions about potential school facility consolidation. That could affect school assignments or building conditions in the coming years, though no specific decisions about Congdon have been reported. The district also approved a budget increase for the latest fiscal year with targeted investments in curriculum, technology, and social-emotional learning supports, which could benefit this school.
Congdon offers a standard elementary program in a regular public school setting. It is not a charter or magnet school. No data on course access, staffing ratios, discipline, or attendance was available, so a parent would need to explore those areas through a school visit or conversation with the principal.
For a family weighing this school, the central considerations are its academic trajectory, the diversity of its student body, and the broader district context. The school’s math performance is relatively stronger than its ELA performance, but both subjects show room for growth relative to county peers. The downward trend since 2019 is something to understand more fully. The school serves a racially and ethnically varied population in a city with distinct cultural and economic character. The district’s strategic plan and budget priorities signal attention to literacy and early learning, but whether those translate into measurable gains at Congdon will take time to see.
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