The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in English language arts. The lowest is 27% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Roosevelt
Roosevelt is a regular public elementary school in the Worcester Public Schools system, serving pre-kindergarten through grade six. As a mid-sized elementary school located in the city's Grafton Street corridor, it draws from a diverse residential neighborhood in Massachusetts' second-largest city. The school's enrollment reflects the broad demographic mix of Worcester itself, with a student body that includes a substantial share of Hispanic students, a meaningful share of White students, and a notable share of Black students, alongside smaller populations of Asian and multiracial students.
The most consequential fact for a parent considering Roosevelt is its academic performance on the state's NextGen MCAS assessments. Proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science all sit at levels that position the school below the midpoint relative to other districts in Worcester County. In the most recent testing year, roughly a quarter of students met the state's proficiency bar in math, while about a third did so in English language arts. The science proficiency rate, which is tested only at certain grades, fell in a similar range to the math result. These figures point to a school where most students are not reaching grade-level benchmarks on state assessments, a pattern that a parent would want to explore further with the school to understand the specific instructional strategies, intervention programs, and support structures in place.
Looking at the trend lines over the past several years provides additional context. In the years before the pandemic, Roosevelt's ELA proficiency was around the midpoint or a bit above, with a multiyear record showing a near-majority of students reaching proficiency in some school years. Math proficiency in that same pre-2020 period was also near the midpoint. Both subjects saw a notable decline after 2020, and proficiency rates have remained at the lower end of that range in the years since. A parent may want to ask the school how it is working to address this downward shift and whether the new district-wide elementary literacy curriculum, rolled out in fall 2023, is expected to move these numbers over time.
Roosevelt is part of a large urban district that has been the subject of considerable recent attention from local news outlets. The district adopted a new structured literacy curriculum for elementary grades in 2023, shifting from a balanced literacy approach to one with explicit phonics instruction. In early 2024, the Worcester School Committee approved a three-year strategic plan with priorities around teaching and learning, student well-being, social-emotional learning, and family engagement. The district has also outlined a long-term facilities plan that includes significant investment in aging school buildings, though Roosevelt's specific place in that plan was not detailed in the information available. The school's own status as a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation means it draws from its neighborhood attendance zone.
Information about some important school characteristics was not available in the data provided. There was no data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, the number of students receiving special education services, or the number of English learners enrolled. The absence of these figures means a parent cannot directly assess the level of concentrated poverty or the prevalence of special populations from this record alone. Similarly, data on chronic absenteeism and disciplinary rates were not present, so a full picture of the school's climate and attendance patterns is incomplete. A parent would need to contact the school or the district to get these specifics.
Worcester itself is a city that blends older housing stock, a large student population from its eight colleges and universities, and a growing biotechnology and healthcare sector. Its population has grown in recent decades, reversing a long post-war decline, and the city describes itself as offering a mix of urban and smaller-city amenities. For a family living in the Grafton Street area, Roosevelt provides neighborhood access to an elementary school serving the full pre-K-to-six range. The school's academic data, however, suggests a setting where the typical student is not yet reaching state proficiency standards, making it important for a family to understand what academic supports and enrichment the school offers before making a decision.
See more original research from School Decision →