The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in English language arts. The lowest is 44% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a regular public elementary school in Stoneham, Massachusetts, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. Because it only covers the early primary years, the school does not have a graduation rate or the full suite of measures that apply to secondary schools. State testing data is available for math and English language arts in grades three and four. The most recent results show that, across those tested grades, the share of students meeting proficiency standards in both subjects falls below the midpoint when compared with other elementary schools in Middlesex County. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages the rates for math and ELA, is below typical levels for the county’s districts. This is a soft spot in the school’s profile, and a parent may want to ask the school directly about the instructional strategies and supports it provides to raise achievement.
Multi-year trends available from the state indicate that proficiency rates have moved up and down over the past decade. In English language arts, the proportion of students scoring proficient or above has ranged from a low point in the 2022-23 school year to a higher point several years earlier. The most recent year shows a modest rebound. In math, the pattern is similar: a dip after the pandemic period, then a partial recovery, but the current level remains below the school’s own earlier peak. Science testing data in the record is from a single earlier year and for a grade that the school no longer serves, so it does not give a current picture. Because the school does not administer science assessments at its grade span, no recent science results apply.
Stoneham is a primarily residential suburban town less than a short drive northwest of Boston. About a third of the town’s land is within the Middlesex Fells Reservation, a large state conservation area that includes Spot Pond and the Stone Zoo. The town’s center runs along Main Street, with Town Hall, the Stoneham Theatre, and local shops. The Tri-Community Greenway provides a multi-use path for walking and biking. Public transit access is via an MBTA bus route through Stoneham Center connecting to the Orange Line; there is no direct rail service. Housing costs in the area are high, and rents are similarly elevated, reflecting the town’s desirability as a commuter suburb. The Stoneham district recently won voter approval for a debt exclusion to fund a new high school, a major capital investment that will affect both facilities and taxes.
The student body at Robin Hood is majority white, with a modest share of Hispanic students, smaller shares of Asian, multiracial, and Black students, and a very small number of American Indian students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, students with disabilities, and English learners were not available in the source material, so a parent would need to contact the school or district to understand the socioeconomic and special-education makeup of the school. No information on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, or staffing ratios was reported either. The school is not a charter or magnet, and its Title I status is not recorded.
Robin Hood is one of three elementary schools in the Stoneham district, each serving a different neighborhood. The school’s grade span means that students transition to Stoneham Central Middle School after fourth grade, and then to Stoneham High School. The available data paints an incomplete picture, but the core academic results show that the school is below the county norm in math and ELA proficiency. For a family weighing this school, the key factors are the town’s suburban character, the high cost of housing, the district’s ongoing capital project, and the need to follow up on student support and demographic details that are not captured in the public data.
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