The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in Math. The lowest is 26% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Atkinson
Atkinson is a regular public elementary school in North Andover, Massachusetts, serving grades one through five. It is one of five elementary schools in the North Andover district, a suburban town in Essex County that blends residential neighborhoods with commercial and industrial zones and maintains significant open space, including portions of state forests and conservation areas. The town's civic life centers on its historic "Old Center," and it hosts Merrimack College, a private four-year institution. Amazon opened an automated warehouse there in early 2024, and the town has attracted biotech and defense industries. The school itself sits on a separate campus, as do the other elementary schools, the middle school, and the high school.
The student body at Atkinson is diverse. More than half of students are white, roughly three in ten are Hispanic, and smaller shares are Black and Asian. A very small number of students identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, and a modest number as two or more races. Data on the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, the share with individualized education plans, and the share who are English learners was not reported. Because the school serves only early elementary grades, there is no graduation rate or chronic absenteeism metric to examine. State testing applies to grades three through five in math, English language arts, and science, and participation rates were high.
On the Massachusetts NextGen MCAS assessments, Atkinson's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Essex County. In math and English language arts, roughly one in four students scored at the proficient or advanced level. In science, about one in four also reached that threshold. These figures represent a notable decline from earlier years. Several years ago, proficiency in English language arts stood close to half, and in math it was about half as well. Over the subsequent years, those rates have dropped steadily, with the most recent results showing the lowest point in the available trend line. A parent may want to ask the school or district about the factors behind this trend and what supports are in place.
The neighborhood around Atkinson is one of high housing costs. The typical home value in the area is well into the upper range for the region, and a typical rent is also elevated. The town has seen new development, including the large Amazon warehouse, and the town government describes itself as pro-business with a streamlined permitting process. The early childhood center was expanded in recent years to reduce class sizes. The school itself has a student body of moderate size for an elementary school, with roughly balanced grade-level groups.
No data was available on discipline, course access (beyond the standard elementary curriculum), staffing ratios, or attendance patterns at Atkinson, so those dimensions cannot be described. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and its Title I status was not reported. The district brief turned up no major recent changes of note. For families considering Atkinson, the academic trend lines and the broader context of high-cost housing in a suburban town with a mix of industry and open space are the central considerations.
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