The top reported proficiency rate is 17% in English language arts. The lowest is 9% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Providence Preparatory Charter
Providence Preparatory Charter is a tuition-free public charter middle school serving grades five through eight on Harrison Street in Providence. It opened in 2021, which makes it a young school still building its track record. The founding mission, as publicly reported, was to create a college-preparatory pathway for Providence families, and in 2024 the school received a grant from City Fund to support expansion, a signal that the organization is planning to grow.
The student body is small for a middle school, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly across the four grade levels. Every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school among the most economically disadvantaged enrollments you will find. The majority of students are Hispanic, with a substantial Black enrollment and small numbers of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. The school reports no data on students with individualized education programs or English learners, so we cannot characterize those populations here. A parent may want to ask the school directly about how it serves students with disabilities and multilingual learners, since that information is part of understanding the full picture.
On state assessments, the most recent results show proficiency levels that are low across every subject and grade tested. In math, roughly one in ten tested students reached proficiency. In English language arts, the share was somewhat higher but still well below what most families would hope to see. Science results were lower still, with the eighth-grade proficiency rate particularly thin. Participation was strong, with nearly every student taking the assessments, so the results are not skewed by absentees. Because the school has only one year of reported test data and no multi-year trend, there is no way yet to tell whether these numbers represent a starting point on an upward trajectory or a persistent pattern. The school's youth is relevant context here. A school that opened recently and serves an entirely low-income population may still be building its instructional capacity, and a single year of scores cannot capture that story. At the same time, the proficiency levels are the proficiency levels, and a parent considering this school should look into them with care and ask the leadership what their improvement plan looks like.
There is no graduation rate to report, which is expected because the school does not serve high school grades. No data on course access, staffing ratios, attendance, or discipline was available, so those dimensions of school life go unexamined here. Program offerings were not provided either, so we cannot describe extracurriculars, electives, or supports beyond the college-preparatory framing.
The housing market around the school's zip code gives a mixed picture for families thinking about the neighborhood. Typical home values sit below the Rhode Island state benchmark but above the national one, which positions the area as relatively moderate for the region. Rents, though, have been climbing at a faster clip than home values, which could matter for families renting nearby. Mortgage rates remain elevated by recent historical standards, and national unemployment sits in a stable range. Providence itself is a mid-sized capital city with the economic and cultural infrastructure that implies, though we did not have a detailed locale brief to draw on for neighborhood-specific color.
Who does this school fit? It may appeal to a Providence family seeking a small, tuition-free charter option with a stated college-preparatory focus for the middle grades, particularly one where nearly all students come from low-income backgrounds and the majority are students of color. The expansion grant suggests the school intends to widen its reach. The academic results, though, are a central consideration. A family weighing this option should treat the current proficiency data as a real factor, ask the school directly about its academic strategy and growth targets, and decide whether the mission and the trajectory feel like the right match for their child.
See more original research from School Decision →