The top reported proficiency rate is 17% in Math. The lowest is 8% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Chandler Elementary Community
Chandler Elementary Community is a regular public school in Worcester, Massachusetts, serving students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. It is part of Worcester Public Schools, a large urban district. The school sits in a mid-sized city that blends residential neighborhoods, institutional campuses, and commercial corridors, with a downtown core and a network of colleges and hospitals that anchor the local economy. Worcester has seen population growth in recent decades, reversing an earlier decline, and the district itself is in the middle of a multi-year facilities plan to address aging school buildings, with potential future property tax implications for residents.
The student body at Chandler Elementary is diverse. The largest group of students is Hispanic, followed by White, Black, and Asian students, with smaller numbers of students who identify as two or more races or as American Indian or Alaska Native. The school serves pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, and its enrollment is moderate for an elementary school. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are English learners was not available in the source data, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about these support structures.
On the most recent state assessments, the NextGen MCAS, Chandler Elementary's results show that a modest share of students met the proficient or advanced standard in English language arts and in mathematics. In science, the share of students reaching that level was smaller. These results place the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades in the bottom quarter when compared to other districts in Worcester County. The school's participation rate on the assessments was full, meaning nearly every enrolled student took the tests.
Looking at the trend over time, the school's proficiency rates in both English language arts and mathematics have moved downward from higher levels seen several years ago. In the 2016-17 school year, a majority of students scored proficient or above in both subjects. By the most recent testing year, that share had dropped substantially. The decline was not a single-year event; it unfolded over several years, with the steepest drop occurring between 2018-19 and 2020-21, a period that coincides with the pandemic disruption. Since then, rates have remained relatively flat at the lower level. A parent considering Chandler Elementary may want to discuss with the school how it is addressing this trend, particularly in light of the district's recent adoption of a new structured literacy curriculum for elementary grades, which represents a fundamental shift in reading instruction.
The school is part of Worcester Public Schools, which in early 2024 approved a three-year strategic plan focused on teaching and learning, student well-being, social-emotional learning, and family engagement. The district has also outlined a large facilities plan to address aging school buildings over the next decade, which may eventually require a property tax override vote. These district-level initiatives provide context for the school's operations, though the specific impact on Chandler Elementary is not detailed in the available data.
Chandler Elementary is a neighborhood school in a city with a strong institutional presence, a diverse student body, and a district that is actively working on curriculum reform and facilities investment. The school's academic results on state assessments are lower than they were several years ago, and a parent considering the school will want to understand how the school and district are working to address that trend.
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