The top reported proficiency rate is 66% in Math. The lowest is 45% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Montclair
Montclair serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Quincy, a dense city that functions as one of Boston’s immediate southern suburbs. For a family considering this elementary school, the picture is one of strong math and science performance, a student body shaped by a large Asian-heritage community, and a city context of rapid transit-oriented redevelopment and high housing costs.
On state testing, Montclair shows a clear split by subject. Math proficiency sits comfortably above the midpoint among schools in Norfolk County districts. Science results also come in at a solid level. English language arts, however, is a softer spot. Slightly fewer than half of students reached proficiency on the most recent MCAS, and the trend line shows a gradual decline from pre-pandemic years when the school posted higher ELA scores. A parent considering Montclair may want to ask the school about reading intervention and how ELA support is structured, particularly since elementary literacy lays the foundation for later years. Participation rates on all tests were very high, which means the results reflect nearly the whole student body.
The school’s enrollment is sizable for an elementary building, and the racial and ethnic composition is notable. A strong majority of students are Asian, followed by a white population, with smaller shares of Hispanic, Black, and two-or-more-races students. The data we reviewed did not include the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, nor the numbers of students with disabilities or English learners. Those are important gaps for a family to fill by speaking with the school directly, as they shape the supports a child might receive.
Montclair is a regular public school in a district that appears stable. The Quincy Public Schools district brief turned up no recent major changes that would affect families, such as boundary shifts or new program launches. The absence of such news is itself a kind of signal: the district’s elementary landscape has been consistent in the near term.
The community around Montclair is an extension of Quincy itself. Quincy blends urban density with suburban residential pockets. Its neighborhoods—Wollaston, North Quincy, South Quincy, Squantum—each have their own character, and the school draws from the area around the Wollaston and North Quincy sections, where walkability is moderate but improves near the MBTA Red Line stations. Quincy Center has undergone a large-scale revitalization, adding mixed-use housing and commercial space. The city’s population has grown, driven by demand for housing with Boston transit access. That growth is visible in new apartment construction near the subway stops. For a family, this means a dynamic environment with good transportation links, but also a housing market where both purchase prices and rents are high. The typical home in the broader area carries a price well above national medians, and rents follow suit. Affordability is a real consideration.
Because Montclair only goes through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The school’s academic trajectory will matter most as a feeder into Quincy’s middle and high schools, and families will want to understand how the elementary experience connects to the next step. The data we examined does not include any program offerings, so whether Montclair has specialized tracks, enrichment, or before- and after-care is something a parent would need to confirm with the school office.
Overall, Montclair presents as an elementary school where math and science are clear academic strengths, ELA is an area a family may want to investigate further, and the peer environment is diverse in the sense of a large Asian plurality within a smaller overall mix of backgrounds. The setting is a dense, transit-connected city with ongoing development and a tight housing market. For a parent who values strong quantitative foundations and is comfortable with the urban-suburban character of Quincy, Montclair offers a solid option—with the caveat that the school’s literacy support and its detailed student support data are worth exploring directly.
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