The top reported proficiency rate is 18% in Science. The lowest is 0% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Springfield Middle School
Springfield Middle School serves grades six through eight as a regular public school within the Springfield district, located in the city that is the urban and economic center of western Massachusetts. The school sits on Chestnut Street in a city known for its Victorian architecture, the birthplace of basketball, and a mix of manufacturing, healthcare, and entertainment sectors. The school is one among many in a district that has seen economic challenges and recent revitalization efforts, including a major casino development and transit hub redevelopment downtown.
The school is exceptionally small in enrollment. The student body numbers in the low dozens, with fewer than twenty students across the three grades. The small size means that each grade has a handful of students. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of Black students, White students, and students identifying as two or more races. There are no Asian or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students reported. Data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education identification, and English learner status are not reported in the available records, so a parent should ask the school directly about the share of students who qualify for support programs and the resources available.
State testing results for the most recent year show that no students scored at the proficient level or above in either mathematics or English language arts. The number of students tested was so small that a single student’s result would have a large effect on the rate. Looking across multiple years, the pattern is consistent: in several prior school years, proficiency rates in math and ELA have been at or near zero, with only a couple of years where a small percentage of students reached proficiency. The most recent science assessment data available is from several years ago, when fewer than one in five students scored proficient. Participation rates in testing were reported as high, so the low scores reflect the performance of nearly all enrolled students, not a skipped test.
Compared to other school districts in Hampden County, Springfield Middle School’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades falls in the bottom quartile. The comparison set includes all districts in the county, which covers a range from smaller suburban communities to larger urban districts like Springfield itself. This position places the school among the lower-performing schools in a county where middle-of-the-pack districts have meaningfully higher proficiency rates.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. No data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, course access, or staffing were available. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and its Title I status was not reported.
A parent considering this school will see a very small middle school with a persistent pattern of extremely low academic achievement on state assessments. The school’s size could allow for close student-teacher relationships, but the available data do not describe staffing or class sizes. The school’s setting in a large, economically diverse city means that families may have access to broader district resources, after-school programming, and community institutions such as the Basketball Hall of Fame, Forest Park, and regional colleges. However, the academic record raises clear questions about instructional quality and student support. A family evaluating Springfield Middle School should visit the school, ask about curriculum, intervention programs, and teacher qualifications, and consider whether the school’s small size and current performance levels match their child’s needs.
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