The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in English language arts. The lowest is 24% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Edward Martin Middle
Edward Martin Middle is a regular public school serving grades six through eight on Brown Street in East Providence, Rhode Island. It sits within the East Providence School District, a system that publicly reported a major capital improvement in recent years: East Providence High School was rebuilt and opened, replacing the prior facility. For families with children who will eventually move on to high school, that rebuild is part of the district's current educational landscape, though Edward Martin itself is a middle school and the rebuild affects the downstream campus rather than this building.
The school serves a mid-sized middle school population, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly across the three grade levels. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a community where a substantial share of families meet the income threshold for that designation. The student body is majority white, with Hispanic and Black students forming the next largest groups, followed by students of two or more races. Smaller numbers of Asian and American Indian or Alaska Native students are also enrolled. Information on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available in the data provided, so those populations cannot be characterized here.
On Rhode Island's state assessments, the RICAS in math and English language arts and the NGSA in science, proficiency rates sit below a third of tested students in each subject. English language arts and science results are close to one another, with math a step behind. Participation was near universal across all three subjects, which means the proficiency figures reflect nearly the entire student body rather than a self-selected subset. Only one year of results is available, so there is no trend to describe. Whether these outcomes represent a steady state, a dip, or an improvement over time cannot be determined from the data on hand. A parent weighing these results may want to ask the school what its current improvement priorities are and how it supports students who are not yet proficient.
The school is not a charter or magnet school. Title I status was not reported in the data. Discipline data, course access information, staffing figures, and attendance records were also not available, so questions about those areas would need to go directly to the school or district. No program offerings were listed, which means the narrative cannot speak to whether the school offers advanced coursework, arts programming, athletics, or other enrichments. This is a gap in the data rather than an indication that such programs do not exist.
East Providence sits in Providence County. The locale brief for the city was not available because the web search was rate limited, so a grounded description of the town's character, amenities, or recent changes cannot be offered here. What the housing data does show is that home values in the school's zip code sit below the Rhode Island state benchmark but above the national one, making the area comparatively more affordable than much of the state while still pricier than the country as a whole. Rent data for the zip code was not available. Current mortgage rates hover in the mid-six range, and the estimated monthly mortgage cost for a typical home in the area exceeds what a household earning the national median income would pay for rent, which is worth noting for families deciding between buying and renting in the neighborhood.
No neighbor comparison data was provided, so Edward Martin cannot be positioned against nearby middle schools in the county or region. Without that context, a parent would need to look at other schools directly to judge whether the proficiency outcomes here are typical for the area or stand apart.
In sum, Edward Martin Middle is a conventional public middle school in an established Rhode Island community, serving an economically mixed student body where more than half qualify for lunch assistance. State test results show room for growth across all three tested subjects, with near-full participation. The district has invested in its high school facility, and families will want to understand how the middle school prepares students for that next step. Several data areas are thin or missing, so direct outreach to the school would fill in the picture on programs, staffing, and student support.
See more original research from School Decision →