The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in Math. The lowest is 47% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Southampton Road
Southampton Road is a regular public elementary school in Westfield, Massachusetts, serving pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. It is one of several elementary schools feeding into the district’s intermediate, middle, and high schools. The school sits within a city that is itself a mix: a university town, a warehousing and distribution hub, and a historically manufacturing community that has seen its downtown shift its focus toward Westfield State University students while retail has migrated to auto-oriented commercial strips.
The school’s enrollment is small, reflecting its status as a neighborhood elementary school. Racially and ethnically, the student body is predominantly white, with a notable Hispanic presence and smaller shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. Data on the share of students from low-income households was not available, nor were figures for students with disabilities or English learners. A parent interested in those support structures may want to ask the school directly.
On the 2024-25 Massachusetts state assessments, Southampton Road’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed it in the top quartile among elementary schools within Hampden County. That is a strong position for the region. In math, roughly half of students scored at the proficient level or above. In English language arts, a little under half did. Participation on test day was full, so the results reflect the full tested population. The science assessment data is older, from 2017-18, and showed a similar proficiency rate at that time, but a more recent picture is not available; Massachusetts tests science at grade five, which falls after Southampton Road’s grade span, so the school does not produce current science results.
Looking at the multi-year trends available, the school’s math and English proficiency rates have moved within a modest range over the past decade, neither climbing sharply nor falling steeply. Math rates settled in the upper forty to low fifty percent range for most of the past several years. English rates have hovered in the low to mid-forties. There is no dramatic upswing or decline, just a steady band of performance.
Because Southampton Road serves only through fourth grade, it has no graduation rate to report and no high school academic pathways to evaluate. That is a function of its grade configuration, not a gap in programming. Families will transition to the district’s intermediate school after fourth grade.
Housing in the school’s zip code is broadly in line with national medians, with home values that are affordable relative to the state average in Massachusetts. The local rental market is similarly positioned. The county’s housing market has been active, with a tight supply and relatively quick sales, though pricing remains below the high-cost markets in eastern Massachusetts.
The district itself has recently undergone a major facilities change. A debt exclusion approved by voters funded the construction of the new Westfield River Elementary School, which opened in early 2025 and consolidated two older buildings. This project will have a lasting impact on property taxes for the life of the bonds. Families in the district have also seen the FY26 school budget increase, funded primarily through property taxes.
For a parent evaluating Southampton Road, the picture is of a small neighborhood school with a stable but not rising academic record, performing above many of its county peers on state tests. The student body is not particularly diverse, and important student-support data is missing from public reports. The setting is a mid-sized city with a university presence, a working industrial base, and a housing market that remains accessible compared to much of Massachusetts. The school fits families who want a local elementary within a larger district that is investing in new facilities, who are comfortable with the current academic trajectory, and who can navigate the district’s feeder pattern for the grades ahead.
See more original research from School Decision →