The top reported proficiency rate is 15% in Math. The lowest is 7% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Alfred Lima Sr. El School
Alfred Lima Sr. Elementary School sits on Daboll Street in Providence, serving kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Providence district. It is a large elementary school by enrollment, with full participation on state assessments and a student body that is predominantly Hispanic. A very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic realities of the surrounding neighborhood. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available, so those figures are left out rather than estimated.
On the most recent Rhode Island state assessments, proficiency results were low across all three tested subjects. Math proficiency reached roughly the mid-teens in percentage terms, while English language arts and science each came in below that level, with science particularly low. Average scale scores sat well below what the state typically sees for elementary-grade students. Participation was complete, which means the results reflect the full tested population rather than a partial sample. A parent considering this school may want to look into how the building is working to strengthen literacy and numeracy, since the current proficiency picture suggests many students are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks. Only one year of data is available in the trend file, so there is no prior-year comparison to show whether results are moving up or down.
The school's demographic profile is one a family should understand on its own terms. The overwhelming majority of students identify as Hispanic, with smaller groups identifying as Black, Asian, white, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and two or more races. This is a school where most students come from families navigating tight household budgets, given the high rate of free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. Whether that peer environment is the right fit depends on what a family is looking for; some parents value a school rooted in a shared cultural and linguistic community, while others may want a more varied student mix.
Housing in the surrounding ZIP code is more affordable than the Rhode Island statewide benchmark, with typical home values sitting below the state midpoint and rents running lower than what a mortgage would cost at current interest rates. Rents have risen recently, while home values have grown more modestly. For a family already in Providence, or one weighing a move into the neighborhood, the cost of renting here is relatively approachable compared with much of the state. The broader Providence housing market benefits from the city's role as the state capital and its concentration of higher education and medical institutions, and the I-195 redevelopment district has brought new construction and investment to parts of the city, though the Daboll Street area sits in a more established residential section of the city.
The Providence district itself did not yield recent policy, curriculum, referendum, or tax changes that cleared a lasting-impact threshold in the available research, so there is little to report on district-level shifts a parent should weigh right now. The district serves a broad swath of the city and operates under the same governance structure as other regular public schools in the state.
What the data does not tell you is as important as what it does. There is no locale classification, no staff or attendance information, no course-access detail, and no discipline data in the file. Those gaps mean a parent cannot judge class sizes, teacher experience, chronic absenteeism, or disciplinary climate from this source alone. They also mean the academic results stand largely on their own, without the surrounding context that helps explain them. A family serious about this school would do well to visit, ask about literacy and math supports, and get a sense of how the building feels day to day. The numbers here describe a school serving a high-need community with academic results that are currently weak, in a neighborhood where housing costs are relatively manageable for Providence.
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