The top reported proficiency rate is 85% in Math. The lowest is 73% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Downey
Downey is one of four public elementary schools serving the town of Westwood, Massachusetts, a residential and affluent suburb southwest of Boston. It serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, a span that ends before the middle and high school years, so there are no graduation rate data to report here. The school is part of the Westwood district, and a search of recent district news found little of lasting parent-relevant change, leaving the impression of a stable academic setting. Located on Downey Street in a town that describes itself as a suburban community at the junction of a major highway and interstate, Downey draws from a neighborhood that is predominantly car-oriented, with some MBTA commuter rail access for regional travel.
The student body is relatively small for a pre-K-5 school. The largest single-grade cohort is fifth grade, with kindergarten and first through third grades each running a little smaller, and pre-kindergarten enrolling a handful of children. The racial and ethnic composition shows a student population that is mostly white, with a sizeable Asian share, a smaller portion of students who identify as two or more races, a smaller Hispanic share, and a tiny number of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. Federal race and ethnicity counts recorded no American Indian or Alaska Native students and no Black students. Data on students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, students with disabilities, and English learners were not available in the profile, so a parent seeking to understand the school’s economic and special-education profile would need to ask the district directly.
On the state’s Next-Generation MCAS assessments, Downey’s results place it among the stronger performers in Norfolk County. Across tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index sits in the top quartile relative to other districts in the county, meaning that when the school’s proficiency rates are averaged together, they exceed those of most peers in the area. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above was high, and in English language arts it was also strong but a bit lower. In science, tested only at fifth grade, the proficiency rate was also high. Participation in testing was complete, with every student taking the assessments.
Looking at the school’s historical trend lines over the past several years gives a more layered picture. In math, the proficiency rate has been largely steady or high, with a dip in the 2020-21 year and a rise to a recent high after that. In English language arts, the pattern is less consistent. The proficiency rate was at a similar level several years ago, then dipped a year later, and after a few years of fluctuation, including a low point a couple of years ago, it rebounded to a level close to the earlier high. A parent may want to ask the school about what has driven the year-to-year variation in reading and writing scores.
Because Downey serves only elementary grades, it does not offer the AP, career, or dual-credit pathways that become available at the high school level. The school’s program offerings were not detailed in the available data, so a family looking for specific enrichment or specialized instruction would need to consult the school or district directly. The Westwood district includes three other elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school that was rebuilt publicly in a prior decade. The town also hosts a private all-boys Catholic preparatory school.
The housing market in the zip code that serves Westwood reflects a high-cost area. Home values are well above the national benchmark, and rents are also high relative to incomes. The median household income for the United States as a whole was under six figures, but in Westwood, the figures that appear in public records suggest an affluent community with the property taxes and cost of living that accompany that status.
For a family evaluating Downey, the key contours are clear: a small, high-performing elementary school in an affluent, stable suburban town with a strong math and science record and a more variable English language arts trend that warrants a conversation with the school. The absence of economic and special-education demographic data means that a family assessing the school’s inclusivity or support network will need to gather that information directly. For readers accustomed to seeing breakdowns by student subgroup or chronic absenteeism rates, neither was available in the dataset, so those are open questions rather than documented weaknesses.
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