The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in Science. The lowest is 27% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Munger Hill
Munger Hill is a regular public elementary school in Westfield, Massachusetts, serving pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. It is one of several elementary schools in the Westfield district, which also includes a newer consolidated school that opened in early 2025. Because the school serves only early grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and some typical academic data points, such as science assessments for fifth graders, come from an older testing cycle.
On the state’s NextGen MCAS assessments, the most recent results from the 2024-25 school year show that roughly a quarter of students met proficiency benchmarks in math, and just under a third did so in English language arts. These are low proficiency rates. The picture is clearer when looking over time. Before the pandemic, in the years leading up to 2019, the school’s ELA proficiency was around half of students, and math proficiency was in the high forties and even near sixty percent. After a steep drop, those rates settled in the mid-to-late twenties for ELA and the upper twenties to low thirties for math. The 2024-25 results represent a continuation of that lower plateau. A single older science assessment from the 2017-18 school year, when the school still served fifth grade, showed about half of students proficient, but that data is from a different era and a different test. Compared with other districts in Hampden County, Munger Hill’s overall proficiency across tested subjects sits above the midpoint of the cohort, a position that places it among the stronger performers in a county where many schools face similar challenges. Still, the absolute proficiency levels are modest, and a parent may want to discuss with the school what supports are in place for students who are not yet meeting benchmarks.
The student body is predominantly white, with a noticeable Hispanic enrollment and smaller shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, receive special education services, or are classified as English learners was not available. That gap means a family cannot assess the level of economic or linguistic diversity from the available record.
Westfield is a city shaped by the Westfield River, with a warehouse-and-distribution center on the north side and a university-centered downtown on the south side. Housing in the area is more affordable than the state average, though prices have been rising. The county’s housing market is active, with relatively quick sales and a limited supply of homes. For families moving to the area, the overall cost of living in Westfield is lower than in many parts of eastern Massachusetts, but property taxes fund the bulk of the local school budget, and voters recently approved a debt exclusion that raised taxes to build a new elementary school.
That new school, Westfield River Elementary, opened in January 2025, consolidating two older buildings. It does not directly affect Munger Hill’s attendance zone, but it reflects the district’s ongoing facilities investments. The district’s budget for the current fiscal year increased, maintaining level services with targeted additions, which means the financial commitment from local taxpayers continues to grow.
For a family considering Munger Hill, the school offers a small-to-moderate sized elementary setting in a mid-sized city with a mix of residential neighborhoods and a working-class economic base. The academic results suggest that many students enter the upper elementary grades without having reached proficient levels, which could matter for families who prioritize strong early academic foundations. The school’s relatively favorable county ranking offers some context, but the raw proficiency numbers themselves are low. Without data on student support programs or classroom staffing, a parent would do well to visit and ask directly about how the school addresses reading and math instruction for students who are below grade level.
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