The top reported proficiency rate is 4% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Trinity Day Academy
Trinity Day Academy is a regular public school in New Bedford serving a small student body across grades five through twelve. The school sits within the New Bedford Public Schools district, which covers this densely populated, historically industrial port city on Massachusetts’ South Coast. New Bedford’s identity is tied to its working port, the nation’s highest-grossing commercial fishing port, and a large Portuguese-American community that shapes the city’s cultural life. The downtown and waterfront areas are walkable and host the Whaling National Historical Park and Seaport Cultural District. The city is also positioning itself around an emerging offshore wind industry.
The district itself is undergoing notable changes. The school committee approved a new three-year strategic plan for 2024-2027 focused on early childhood education, literacy, college and career readiness, and family engagement. A recent budget increased spending on curriculum, technology, and social-emotional learning. At the same time, declining enrollment has prompted active discussions about potential school facility consolidation and repurposing, a development that could affect school assignments and class sizes in the coming years.
Trinity Day Academy is a small school, with an enrollment that is modest for the grade five through twelve range. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse. White students make up roughly half of the population. Hispanic students account for about a third. Black students and students identifying with two or more races make up the remainder. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are English learners was not available, which limits a full picture of the school’s support needs.
State assessment results are available, and they give a clear read on the school’s academic profile. On the NextGen MCAS for math, the proficiency rate was reported as zero among tested students in tested grades. In English language arts, a very small share of students scored proficient or above. On the state science assessment, the proficiency rate was also reported as zero. These results place the school’s overall proficiency index in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Bristol County. A parent should note that tested counts were small, and participation rates were high. Even so, the pattern of very low proficiency is consistent over the available years of data, dating back several years across both math and ELA, always at or near zero percent proficient. Any family considering this school would want to look into the specific academic programs, instruction, and student support structures in place, and ask the school directly about its approach to moving students toward grade-level mastery.
Because the school includes high school grades, one might expect a graduation rate, but that metric was not available in the data. Similarly, chronic absenteeism data and civil rights discipline data were absent. The school’s course offerings were not reported in the data, so it is not possible to speak to the availability of advanced, career, or dual-credit pathways.
This is a school that serves a small population and sits in a district working through strategic planning and enrollment-driven facility conversations. For a family or resident trying to understand the academic pathway here, the central fact is that state test results show almost no students meeting proficiency benchmarks, and this has been a persistent pattern over time. A parent evaluating this school would want to have a direct conversation about the instructional model, the curriculum, and the specific support services available to help students make academic progress.
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