The top reported proficiency rate is 35% in Science. The lowest is 27% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on J Henry Higgins Middle
J Henry Higgins Middle School in Peabody, Massachusetts, serves students in grades six through eight and operates as a regular public school within the Peabody school district. It is a mid-sized middle school, enrolling a student body that is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. The school sits in Peabody, a city north of Boston that offers residents walkable portions of Main Street and downtown areas.
On the state’s NextGen MCAS assessments, the school’s overall proficiency index—the average of reported proficiency rates across subjects and grades—places Higgins Middle in the bottom quartile among districts in Essex County. In the most recent testing year, proficiency rates in English language arts, math, science, and social studies each fell in the range where about a quarter to a third of students met the state’s proficient-or-above threshold. The school’s participation rates on these tests were high, meeting or nearly meeting full participation.
Looking at the multi-year trend data available, the school’s proficiency rates have followed a downward trajectory over roughly the past decade. In ELA, proficiency stood at roughly half of students a decade ago and has since settled at a lower mark. Math proficiency followed a similar pattern, with a more pronounced drop after the pandemic year and a leveling off since then. A parent may want to ask the school about what specific interventions or curricular changes are being implemented to address this trend.
The school’s community and economic context is shaped by Peabody’s housing market. Home values in the city’s ZIP code are above the national benchmark but in line with the broader Massachusetts market. Rents are high relative to typical incomes, and the gap between renting and buying is notable, suggesting that the area leans toward homeowners. The county-level housing data shows a market with low inventory relative to demand, with median listing prices hovering near the high end for the region. This context matters for families considering a move to Peabody; the cost of entry is significant, and the market is competitive.
The district brief for Peabody did not surface any recent parent-relevant changes such as budget overrides, curriculum shifts, or building projects. That means a family looking for signs of active investment or redirection in the middle school may find the picture static from a district-level perspective. Without data on free and reduced-price lunch rates, special education identification, or English learner status, it is difficult to assess the degree of student need or the allocation of support resources within the school. Staffing ratios, course access, and discipline data were also absent, so a parent considering Higgins Middle would want to gather those specifics directly from the school or district to round out the picture.
The school’s grade span, serving only middle grades, means there is no graduation rate to report, and the absence of chronic absenteeism data in the comparison set leaves a gap in understanding student engagement patterns. For a family weighing this school, the core takeaway is that Higgins Middle serves a diverse student body in a relatively expensive market, operates with proficiency levels that are lower than many of its county peers, and has seen a long-term decline in test performance. A parent may want to explore what academic supports are in place for students who are not meeting proficiency benchmarks and what the school’s approach is to reversing the trend seen in the data.
See more original research from School Decision →