The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in Math. The lowest is 31% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Garvin Memorial
Garvin Memorial is a regular public elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade on Diamond Hill Road in Cumberland, Rhode Island. It is part of the Cumberland school district. The enrollment is moderate for an elementary school, with roughly comparable class sizes across each grade. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller Hispanic, Asian, multiracial, and Black populations. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, below what many urban Rhode Island schools see but enough that the school serves a mix of income levels. Data on individualized education programs and English learner status was not reported, so those population details remain unclear from available sources.
Academically, the most recent state assessment results offer a clear picture. On the RICAS math assessment, Garvin Memorial students performed at a level best described as solidly in the middle range, with a majority of tested students reaching proficiency. English language arts results were lower, with fewer than half of tested students meeting the proficiency bar. Science performance on the fifth-grade NGSA assessment was the weakest of the three subjects, with a smaller portion of students reaching proficiency. Participation was near-universal across all three subjects. A parent reviewing these results might feel reasonably confident about math instruction and may want to ask the school how it supports reading and science growth, particularly given the ELA and science gaps relative to math.
Only one year of data is available, so there is no trend to describe. The data sources did not include prior-year results in a comparable form, which means a parent cannot yet see whether performance is improving, holding steady, or declining. This is a gap worth naming plainly rather than reading as either a strength or a weakness.
Cumberland itself is a large suburban town in the Blackstone Valley, the most populous town in Rhode Island by that designation. It has deep industrial roots. The Valley Falls Company, an antecedent of Berkshire Hathaway, operated here, and the Ann & Hope discount retail chain began in town. Cumberland Farms, the convenience store chain, took its name from a former dairy farm in Cumberland. Today the town functions primarily as a residential suburb, with commercial activity scattered along major roads and residents commuting to Providence and nearby employment centers. The town does not have a single traditional downtown. Civic life is distributed across facilities like the Cumberland Public Library, which occupies a converted former Trappist monastery, and Diamond Hill Park, which hosts Cumberlandfest each August. The Arnold Mills neighborhood holds a Fourth of July parade and road race with a long history. The Blackstone River Theatre serves as a cultural venue. Some working farmland remains, including the historic Metcalf-Franklin Farm.
The housing market in the school's zip code is on the expensive side relative to both state and national benchmarks. Home values sit above the Rhode Island median and well above the national median, with modest year-over-year appreciation. Rents are also above the national midpoint. The price-to-income ratio is elevated, and estimated monthly mortgage costs exceed typical rent by a meaningful margin, which reflects the broader reality of buying versus renting in this area. For families considering moving into the Garvin Memorial zone, housing costs will be a real factor. The market has appreciated steadily rather than dramatically, which suggests a stable rather than boom-driven environment.
The school sits on Diamond Hill Road, the same corridor that hosts Diamond Hill Park and Cumberlandfest. The area is auto-dependent, like most of Cumberland, with residential subdivisions connected by arterial roads. The denser Valley Falls area, a few minutes away, offers something closer to a traditional neighborhood layout.
Several categories of data were not available. No discipline, course access, staffing, or attendance information was reported for Garvin Memorial. No Title I status was provided. No graduation rate applies here, since the school does not serve high school grades. No district-level parent-relevant changes, such as referenda or curriculum shifts, surfaced in available searches. No neighbor comparison data was provided to position Garvin Memorial against other Cumberland district elementary schools. A parent wanting a fuller picture would benefit from asking the district directly about staffing ratios, special education services, and how the school compares to its sibling elementaries within the district.
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