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McKay K-8 School

Public Grades PK, KG-8
897th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 906 Massachusetts Elementary Schools
Better than 1% of Massachusetts elementary schools
Summary

McKay K-8 School is a public elementary school in East Boston, MA, serving 670 students from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade. The school is part of the Boston school district, which is ranked 298 out of 348 districts in Massachusetts and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

McKay K-8 School has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Massachusetts elementary schools, with proficiency rates in MCAS Next Generation assessments that are significantly lower than the Boston and Massachusetts state averages across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 13.84% of McKay K-8 students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 29.27% in Boston and 41.53% statewide. The school also struggles to support the academic achievement of various student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 25-30% of Massachusetts schools for Hispanic, English Language Learner, Special Education, and Low Socioeconomic Status students.

Despite the school's relatively low student-teacher ratio and high per-student spending, ranging from $25,732 to $31,205 in recent years, McKay K-8 School's academic outcomes remain poor, suggesting that the resources may not be effectively allocated or utilized to support student learning. When compared to other nearby schools in the Boston district, such as O'Donnell Elementary School, Kennedy Patrick J Elementary School, and Mario Umana Academy, McKay K-8 School generally performs worse academically, with lower proficiency rates and rankings.

640
Students ?
9.5
Student/teacher ratio ?
$33,998
Per pupil spending ?
76.9%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 122 Cottage Street
       East Boston, MA  02128

(617) 635-8510

District: Boston

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
87.3%
White:
7.7%
African American:
3.3%
more
 See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

 Compare McKay K-8 School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 15th percentile in 2015 → 1st in 2025
Strengths
Small classes — about 10 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Massachusetts average (11% vs 41% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)
!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2015
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school11%
District avg27%
Massachusetts avg41%
Elementary school
897th of 906
Massachusetts public elementary schools ?
Bottom 1%▼ down 14 pts since 2015
From bottom 15% (2015) to bottom 1% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
Middle school
423rd of 484
Massachusetts public middle schools ?
Bottom 13%▼ down 3 pts since 2015
From bottom 16% (2015) to bottom 13% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
65th of 65Elementary Schools in the Boston
298th of 348Boston among Massachusetts districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Elementary school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
20254.5897 of 9061.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20249.1868 of 9165.2%☆☆☆☆☆
20235.4913 of 9281.6%☆☆☆☆☆
20228.4888 of 9324.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20219.7881 of 9365.9%☆☆☆☆☆
20199.3889 of 9425.6%☆☆☆☆☆
201816.0822 of 93412.0%★☆☆☆☆
201717.8804 of 93814.3%★☆☆☆☆
201624.5743 of 93220.3%★☆☆☆☆
201517.9777 of 91415.0%★☆☆☆☆
201417.0796 of 92614.0%★☆☆☆☆
20135.6892 of 9283.9%☆☆☆☆☆
201210.1853 of 9308.3%☆☆☆☆☆
201112.4821 of 92411.1%★☆☆☆☆
20106.4878 of 9204.6%☆☆☆☆☆
20096.7868 of 9094.5%☆☆☆☆☆
20088.6848 of 9086.6%☆☆☆☆☆
200713.7811 of 91111.0%★☆☆☆☆
200613.3815 of 91110.5%★☆☆☆☆
200513.1788 of 88711.2%★☆☆☆☆
200420.1723 of 88218.0%★☆☆☆☆
200310.6794 of 88410.2%★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202223.8559 of 67216.8%★☆☆☆☆
202121.3544 of 63213.9%★☆☆☆☆
201922.2568 of 66514.6%★☆☆☆☆
201817.1620 of 6565.5%☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202526.9247 of 28112.1%★☆☆☆☆
202425.5255 of 2829.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202333.7189 of 26428.4%★☆☆☆☆
202229.6221 of 26717.2%★☆☆☆☆
202127.4223 of 2407.1%☆☆☆☆☆
201937.5153 of 25840.7%★★☆☆☆
201855.973 of 24470.1%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
20255.3861 of 8690.9%☆☆☆☆☆
20247.8859 of 8863.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20235.5874 of 8871.5%☆☆☆☆☆
20229.4860 of 9014.6%☆☆☆☆☆
20219.3856 of 8984.7%☆☆☆☆☆
201911.4848 of 9026.0%☆☆☆☆☆
201820.5750 of 89316.0%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202514.2441 of 4583.7%☆☆☆☆☆
202427.6355 of 44620.4%★☆☆☆☆
202316.6399 of 4205.0%☆☆☆☆☆
202224.8346 of 40113.7%★☆☆☆☆
202131.3271 of 37928.5%★☆☆☆☆
201928.3317 of 39820.4%★☆☆☆☆
201844.6209 of 37944.9%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
20258.9724 of 7361.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202416.0715 of 7605.9%☆☆☆☆☆
202311.3733 of 7573.2%☆☆☆☆☆
202218.6702 of 7729.1%☆☆☆☆☆
202118.4648 of 7058.1%☆☆☆☆☆
201921.7614 of 70012.3%★☆☆☆☆
201838.1468 of 68531.7%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
20255.9867 of 8841.9%☆☆☆☆☆
202414.4789 of 89111.4%★☆☆☆☆
20237.2870 of 8962.9%☆☆☆☆☆
202210.5855 of 9085.8%☆☆☆☆☆
202112.8808 of 90410.6%★☆☆☆☆
20199.6858 of 9075.4%☆☆☆☆☆
201813.7817 of 8989.0%☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202515.4695 of 7173.1%☆☆☆☆☆
202416.2697 of 7314.7%☆☆☆☆☆
202315.6688 of 7032.1%☆☆☆☆☆
202216.0845 of 9056.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202116.6830 of 8947.2%☆☆☆☆☆
201923.2774 of 89613.6%★☆☆☆☆
201838.2589 of 88633.5%★★☆☆☆

Tested In Person

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
20219.7867 of 9256.3%☆☆☆☆☆

Tested Remotely

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202117.3359 of 39910.0%★☆☆☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202514.9423 of 48412.6%★☆☆☆☆
202414.9430 of 49312.8%★☆☆☆☆
202315.3429 of 50114.4%★☆☆☆☆
202214.3441 of 49711.3%★☆☆☆☆
202111.1455 of 5019.2%☆☆☆☆☆
201914.7428 of 49814.1%★☆☆☆☆
201820.8389 of 48419.6%★☆☆☆☆
201714.8420 of 48713.8%★☆☆☆☆
201635.4323 of 48233.0%★★☆☆☆
201518.5370 of 44116.1%★☆☆☆☆
201413.1402 of 45511.6%★☆☆☆☆
20137.3423 of 4557.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20124.8435 of 4554.4%☆☆☆☆☆
201120.2373 of 44916.9%★☆☆☆☆
201020.6358 of 43417.5%★☆☆☆☆
200921.0340 of 40916.9%★☆☆☆☆
200824.4324 of 40720.4%★☆☆☆☆
200729.7300 of 39924.8%★☆☆☆☆
200632.0294 of 39926.3%★☆☆☆☆
200538.9231 of 35635.1%★★☆☆☆
200432.2253 of 34426.5%★☆☆☆☆
200331.7248 of 33926.8%★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202226.1342 of 44523.1%★☆☆☆☆
202120.4398 of 4317.7%☆☆☆☆☆
201928.2307 of 42427.6%★☆☆☆☆
201829.2301 of 41727.8%★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202540.296 of 18147.0%★★☆☆☆
202443.964 of 18064.4%★★★☆☆
202335.9117 of 15524.5%★☆☆☆☆
202243.666 of 15457.1%★★★☆☆
202135.795 of 13529.6%★★☆☆☆
201945.951 of 13863.0%★★★☆☆
201862.419 of 12785.0%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202512.0432 of 4738.7%☆☆☆☆☆
202410.2450 of 4816.4%☆☆☆☆☆
202318.1411 of 48916.0%★☆☆☆☆
202214.9430 of 49413.0%★☆☆☆☆
202111.4443 of 4838.3%☆☆☆☆☆
201913.4425 of 47811.1%★☆☆☆☆
201817.7394 of 46314.9%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202527.6282 of 37625.0%★☆☆☆☆
202429.7263 of 37830.4%★★☆☆☆
202330.8251 of 36431.0%★★☆☆☆
202229.7265 of 36828.0%★☆☆☆☆
202125.7271 of 33519.1%★☆☆☆☆
201932.9223 of 32230.7%★★☆☆☆
201842.0176 of 30943.0%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202523.7377 of 46418.8%★☆☆☆☆
202425.9360 of 46923.2%★☆☆☆☆
202325.1387 of 48119.5%★☆☆☆☆
202224.1397 of 48918.8%★☆☆☆☆
202119.2408 of 46211.7%★☆☆☆☆
201924.6375 of 45217.0%★☆☆☆☆
201842.5271 of 43838.1%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202519.0391 of 47317.3%★☆☆☆☆
202422.9369 of 48323.6%★☆☆☆☆
202313.1439 of 48910.2%★☆☆☆☆
202214.7440 of 49711.5%★☆☆☆☆
202111.6447 of 4857.8%☆☆☆☆☆
201916.9410 of 47814.2%★☆☆☆☆
201825.6350 of 46624.9%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202523.0371 of 43514.7%★☆☆☆☆
202427.2334 of 44124.3%★☆☆☆☆
202323.7376 of 44415.3%★☆☆☆☆
202225.6400 of 50320.5%★☆☆☆☆
202119.7433 of 48911.5%★☆☆☆☆
201931.7357 of 48426.2%★☆☆☆☆
201843.2268 of 46742.6%★★☆☆☆

Tested In Person

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202111.0445 of 4919.4%☆☆☆☆☆

Tested Remotely

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202116.8307 of 3399.4%☆☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
20257.9375 of 3862.8%☆☆☆☆☆
201911.5366 of 3967.6%☆☆☆☆☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Elementary school
Disabled (2022)17th percentile+12 vs school
English Language Learner (2025)12th percentile+11 vs school
Tested Remotely (2021)10th percentile+4 vs school
Tested In Person (2021)6th percentile~ school
Hispanic (2025)4th percentile+3 vs school
Special Education (2025)3rd percentile~ school
Male (2025)2nd percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)2nd percentile~ school
Female (2025)1st percentile~ school
Middle school
English Language Learner (2025)47th percentile+34 vs school
Hispanic (2025)25th percentile+12 vs school
Disabled (2022)23rd percentile+12 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)19th percentile+6 vs school
Male (2025)17th percentile+5 vs school
Special Education (2025)15th percentile~ school
Tested Remotely (2021)9th percentile~ school
Tested In Person (2021)9th percentile~ school
Female (2025)9th percentile-4 vs school
White (2025)3rd percentile-10 vs school
By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts14%-28 vs state
Civics11%-28 vs state
Mathematics9%-32 vs state
Science8%-34 vs state

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What people are saying
by a student
Monday, June 3, 2019

Open Quote I was a student 60 years ago. It was a brutal, hard, dreary experience. Back then Italians made up the surrounding community mostly low- middle class working families. We were intimidated, punished physically & written off as the fodder of society losers lucky to get through Jr. High relegated to dead end menial existence. There were no teacher/students relationships other than stern, authoritarian rule. The teachers were the losers. They lacked enthusiasm, creativity & engagement. I guess it was a dead end for them too. Luckily, I & others made it out of that abysmal system to go on to succeed & use that experience as a measure of how not to interact with others. Sad, it seems the Donald McKay is still locked in the past serving as a dumping ground for predetermined, underachieving, students sentenced there rather than embraced & engaged in early phases of a lifelong learning adventure. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about McKay K-8 School

Students at McKay K-8 School are 87% Hispanic, 8% White, 3% African American.

McKay K-8 School ranks in the bottom 1.0% of Massachusetts elementary schools.

In the 2024-25 school year, 640 students attended McKay K-8 School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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