The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in Science. The lowest is 21% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Carlos Pacheco
Carlos Pacheco serves kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public elementary school in New Bedford, a densely populated and historically industrial port city on the Massachusetts South Coast. The school sits in a city whose economic identity has long been tied to the commercial fishing fleet, with the port generating the highest annual value of any fishing port in the country, driven largely by scallops, and a large Portuguese-American community shaping much of the cultural life. The emerging offshore wind industry is now a stated development priority, and the city promotes its port infrastructure and downtown historic district as anchors for that growth.
The school itself is a single neighborhood elementary building. Enrollment is small for its grade band. The student body is majority Hispanic, with a sizable White population and notable shares of Black students and students of two or more races. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, students with disabilities, and English learners were not reported in the available records, so a family considering the school would want to ask the school or district directly about those support populations and the resources allocated to them.
On state assessments, Carlos Pacheco’s results are well below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Bristol County. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency rate is clearly lower than the median for the county. In mathematics, roughly one in five students scored at the proficient level or above; in English language arts, about one in four; and in science, about three in ten. These figures represent a notable decline from the pre-pandemic years, when the school had reached higher proficiency levels in both math and ELA. The trend since the pandemic has been one of slow and incomplete recovery, with recent years still below the peaks seen in 2019. A parent exploring this school may want to look into what academic supports and interventions the school is using to address these results.
Because Carlos Pacheco only serves early elementary grades, there is no high school graduation rate to report, and no chronic absenteeism data or discipline data were available in the source material. The school environment and access section, which might have included course offerings, staffing ratios, or attendance patterns, was also empty. This is typical for a smaller elementary school that does not publish extensive data in those areas, but it leaves gaps for families who want a fuller picture.
The housing context for the neighborhood surrounding the school shows home values above the national benchmark but below the Massachusetts state average. The local market has been active, with a modest increase in home values year-over-year and a median listing price that has eased somewhat from the prior year. Rent is a substantial share of typical household income. The city’s unemployment rate tracks near the national average, and mortgage rates have been elevated in the period covered.
At the district level, New Bedford Public Schools has adopted a new three-year strategic plan for 2024 through 2027 that prioritizes expanding early childhood education, improving literacy, and increasing college and career readiness. The district also approved a budget increase for the most recent fiscal year, with targeted spending on curriculum, technology, and social-emotional learning support. At the same time, the district has experienced declining enrollment, which has prompted active discussions about potential school facility consolidation and repurposing. For families with children at Carlos Pacheco, this means the broader district context includes possible changes to school assignments or building use in the coming years, though no specific decisions have been finalized in the available public reporting.
Overall, Carlos Pacheco is a small elementary school in a city with a strong industrial and maritime heritage, serving a diverse student population. Its academic performance on state tests is a soft spot, falling well below county averages and still recovering from pandemic-era drops. Families considering this school would want to ask about the specific instructional supports, student services, and enrichment opportunities available, and to stay informed about district-level enrollment and facility conversations that could affect the school’s future. The city itself offers a dense, walkable downtown with cultural attractions and seasonal festivals, a working port, and an evolving economic base that includes both traditional fishing and new offshore wind development.
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