The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in Math. The lowest is 36% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Charles J Prescott
Charles J Prescott is one of six elementary schools in the Norwood public school system, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and sits in a residential neighborhood of a mixed-use town about a dozen miles southwest of Boston. Norwood blends established residential streets with commercial corridors, including the Route 1 Automile and a cluster of life-sciences employers such as Moderna’s primary manufacturing facility. Three MBTA Commuter Rail stations give the town a commuter-shed character, and the Neponset River runs through it. Homes in the area are expensive by national standards, and the local housing market has been competitive.
The school is small for its grade band, and its student body is notably diverse. The largest single group is white, making up about two-fifths of enrollment, followed by Asian students at roughly a quarter, Black students at about a sixth, and Hispanic students at a little less than a sixth. Small shares of students identify as multiracial, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Data on economic disadvantage, students with disabilities, and English learners were not reported, so a parent would need to ask the school for that information directly.
On the 2024-25 NextGen MCAS, the school’s proficiency rates in math and English language arts both stood at roughly two-fifths of tested students, and in science at just over a third. Participation rates were complete, but the proficiency results place the school in the bottom quarter when compared with other districts across Norfolk County. This is a departure from the school’s own history. In years before the pandemic, proficiency in both math and ELA regularly reached three-quarters or higher. Since then, the numbers have trended downward: ELA proficiency slipped from about two-thirds several years ago to around half in the prior year, then to the current level. Math followed a similar path. The decline is consistent and worth noting; a parent considering this school may want to discuss what steps the school is taking to reverse it.
Because Prescott serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate, no high school course access data, and no discipline or chronic absenteeism information in the available records. The district brief turned up no recent major changes to curriculum, referendums, or property tax measures.
The surrounding context is one of a well-connected suburb with a strong employment base and high housing costs. The median home value in the area is well above the national figure, and rents are similarly elevated. Affordability is a real constraint for many families. The town itself has a walkable core around the municipal building and library, but the school is on a separate campus in a residential setting, consistent with the district’s pattern of neighborhood elementary schools.
For a family, Charles J Prescott offers a small, diverse elementary setting in a town with solid transit links and a robust local economy. The academic results, however, have been moving in the wrong direction over the past several years, and the school now sits well below the midpoint of its county peers on state tests. A parent should look into what supports are in place, particularly for students who may be struggling, and whether the trend is being addressed. The missing demographic data on income and special services means that picture is incomplete from the information available here.
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