The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in Science. The lowest is 20% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Glenwood
Glenwood is a regular public school in Springfield, Massachusetts, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is one of the elementary schools within the Springfield district, a system that, as of the most recent publicly reported information available, had not announced any major district-wide changes of lasting impact for families to track. Because Glenwood’s grade band stops at fifth grade, there are no state-reported graduation or high school outcome metrics for this school.
The student body is relatively compact for an elementary school in a city of Springfield’s size. The enrollment composition is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of Black students, White students, and students who identify as two or more races; Asian and other groups make up a very small portion of the student population. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are classified as English learners were not available in the dataset, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those proportions and the supports available.
The most recent state assessment results for Glenwood show that fewer than a third of students scored at the proficient level or above in any tested subject. In math, about a quarter of students met that bar; in English language arts, roughly one in five students did; and in science, about three in ten students were proficient. These figures place Glenwood’s overall proficiency index below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Hampden County. The trend data over roughly the past decade show that proficiency rates have fluctuated: ELA proficiency ranged from a high around two-fifths of students in one earlier year down to a low near one-seventh in another recent year, while math proficiency similarly varied between a high near one-third and a low below one-tenth. The 2024-25 results sit within the middle of those historical ranges for both subjects. A parent interested in the school’s academic trajectory may want to discuss with the school the specific instructional strategies and interventions being used to address these attainment levels.
Springfield is the urban and economic center of western Massachusetts, a city with a mix of residential neighborhoods, industrial areas, and a historic downtown. It is known as the “City of Homes” for its Victorian architecture, as the birthplace of basketball, and as the home of major employers such as MassMutual, Smith & Wesson, and Baystate Health. The city has seen major revitalization projects in recent years, including the redevelopment of Union Station and the addition of a casino downtown, alongside ongoing recovery from a devastating tornado that struck over a decade ago. For Glenwood families, the housing market in the surrounding zip code is moderately priced relative to the state as a whole; home values are well below the Massachusetts average and sit close to the national median. The local market has shown signs of steady demand with a relatively low inventory of homes for sale.
Because the dataset did not include details on course access, staffing ratios, discipline rates, or attendance patterns for Glenwood, a parent visiting the school or speaking with the principal may want to ask about class sizes, the availability of enrichment programs, and how the school supports regular attendance. The school’s location in a residential neighborhood of a large city means that the typical commute and walkability profile will vary by family, but Springfield’s street layout includes a mix of older walkable blocks and more car-dependent stretches.
Glenwood offers a standard elementary pathway within the Springfield public schools. For families considering this school, the key considerations are its academic performance profile, which the data show is lower than the county median, and the fact that it serves a diverse student population in a city with a rich set of civic and cultural resources. A parent may want to explore what specific academic supports, after-school programs, or community partnerships are in place to help students build foundational skills in literacy and math during the elementary years.
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