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Holmes Elementary School

Q: Is Holmes Elementary School a good school?

Holmes Elementary School ranks 676 th of 906 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

676^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 906 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 25% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Holmes Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Dorchester, MA, serving grades PK-6 with 287 students. The school is part of the Boston Public School District, which is ranked 298 out of 348 districts in Massachusetts and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Over the past 10 years, Holmes Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of Massachusetts elementary schools, with a ranking between 676-903 out of around 900 schools.

Academically, Holmes Elementary consistently underperforms the Boston district and Massachusetts state averages on MCAS Next Generation assessments across all grades and subjects. In 2024-2025, only 32.35% of students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 29.27% in Boston and 41.53% statewide. In Math, only 20.44% of students were proficient or better, compared to 27.68% in Boston and 40.74% statewide. The school's performance is particularly low in 5th grade Math, with only 11.76% proficient or better in 2024-2025.

Interestingly, the nearby UP Academy Holland and Lee Academy schools also perform poorly, ranking in the bottom 10-15% of MA elementary schools. In contrast, the Mather Elementary School and Conservatory Lab Charter School, which are also in the Boston district, perform significantly better than Holmes Elementary.

283

Students ?

9.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$38,138

Per pupil spending ?

77.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

40 School Street
Dorchester, MA 02124

(617) 635-8681

District: Boston

Racial breakdown:

African American:

53.0%

Hispanic:

40.3%

Two or more races:

3.9%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare Holmes Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 12th percentile in 2015 → 25th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Massachusetts average (26% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Mathematics scores 20 pts below the Massachusetts average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg28%

Massachusetts avg41%

676^th of 906

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Bottom 25%▲ up 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 25% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

32^nd of 65Elementary Schools in the Boston

298^th 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	25.1	676 of 906	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.3	772 of 916	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.7	851 of 928	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.4	826 of 932	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.2	885 of 936	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.5	863 of 942	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.2	810 of 934	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	6.6	901 of 938	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	6.1	903 of 932	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	14.9	808 of 914	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	6.7	890 of 926	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.9	880 of 928	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	7.7	875 of 930	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	7.4	879 of 924	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	20.3	779 of 920	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	22.4	749 of 909	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	28.6	708 of 908	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	17.2	785 of 911	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	18.8	766 of 911	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	6.0	851 of 887	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	5.9	847 of 882	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	4.9	844 of 884	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	55.9	63 of 169	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.9	116 of 167	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.8	152 of 167	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.8	146 of 173	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.7	127 of 166	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	48.2	85 of 172	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.4	84 of 174	51.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	29.7	474 of 672	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.5	417 of 632	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.9	372 of 665	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.8	286 of 656	56.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	19.0	729 of 869	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.0	786 of 886	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.2	860 of 887	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.6	803 of 901	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.9	863 of 898	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.6	766 of 902	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.3	636 of 893	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	58.3	135 of 458	70.5%	★★★★☆
2024	52.3	166 of 446	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.9	171 of 420	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.5	74 of 401	81.5%	★★★★☆
2021	15.0	368 of 379	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	336 of 398	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.2	273 of 379	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	50.0	335 of 736	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.7	460 of 760	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.8	633 of 757	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.7	581 of 772	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.1	659 of 705	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.3	519 of 700	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.0	471 of 685	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	33.6	584 of 884	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.9	691 of 891	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	798 of 896	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	793 of 908	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.0	824 of 904	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.1	853 of 907	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.2	825 of 898	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	42.1	365 of 717	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.2	471 of 731	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.0	459 of 703	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.4	707 of 905	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.2	832 of 894	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.1	710 of 896	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.1	651 of 886	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	10.5	860 of 925	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Tested Remotely

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	18.7	344 of 399	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)71st percentile+45 vs school

African American (2025)63rd percentile+37 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)54th percentile+29 vs school

Special Education (2025)49th percentile+24 vs school

Male (2025)34th percentile+9 vs school

Disabled (2022)29th percentile+18 vs school

Female (2025)16th percentile-9 vs school

Tested Remotely (2021)14th percentile+8 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)7th percentile~ school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts32%-9 vs state

Science24%-18 vs state

Mathematics20%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Holmes Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts (2025)							MCAS Next Generation Mathematics (2025)							MCAS Next Generation Science (2025)			MCAS Next Generation Civics (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 6th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 6th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Science 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Civics 8th Grade	Total
Holmes Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	40 School Street	Dorchester	02124	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8681	283	30	9.4		2 (0.7%)	150 (53.0%)	114 (40.3%)	5 (1.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.9%)	25.1	676^th of 906 public elementary schools	25.4%		17.3	772^nd of 916 public elementary schools	15.7%	96	36.1	21.9	17.7	52.9			32.4	18.4	34.4	11.8	18.2			20.4	23.5		23.5		$38,138
Greenwood Sarah K-8 School	Public	PK, KG-8	189 Glenway Street	Dorchester	02121	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8710	357	38	9.3		6 (1.7%)	38 (10.6%)	307 (86.0%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	6.9	876^th of 906 public elementary schools	3.3%		5.7	901^st of 916 public elementary schools	1.6%	25	9.1	5.3	18.2	7.7	8.3	9.5	10.2	0.0	0.0	15.9	7.7	12.5	15.0	8.1	13.6	0.0	9.4	4.8	$37,061
UP Academy Charter School of Dorchester	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	35 Westville Street	Boston	02124	Suffolk County	UP Academy Charter School of Dorchester	Yes	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8810	640	58	11.0		8 (1.3%)	324 (50.6%)	279 (43.6%)	11 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (2.5%)	13.1	812^th of 906 public elementary schools	10.4%		11.5	844^th of 916 public elementary schools	7.9%	32	14.9	16.9	22.8	36.1	16.7	27.3	22.3	11.9	11.3	8.9	9.8	16.7	15.2	12.3	20.0	7.6	13.2	40.9	$22,029
Lee K-8 School	Public	PK, KG-8	155 Talbot Avenue	Dorchester	02124	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8687	551	59	9.3		20 (3.6%)	264 (47.9%)	230 (41.7%)	14 (2.5%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	17 (3.1%)	5.5	889^th of 906 public elementary schools	1.9%		5.1	906^th of 916 public elementary schools	1.1%	17	8.0	9.1	4.9	14.8	5.7	14.0	9.6	4.0	10.9	9.8	3.7	1.9	6.0	5.9	12.2	6.0	8.8	10.2	$38,625
UP Academy Holland	Public	PK, KG-6	85 Olney Street	Dorchester	02121	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8832	641	44	14.4		15 (2.3%)	294 (45.9%)	292 (45.6%)	12 (1.9%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (3.6%)	18.1	762^nd of 906 public elementary schools	15.9%		7.2	885^th of 916 public elementary schools	3.4%	123	29.0	29.6	15.3	12.0			21.4	52.6	19.3	11.2	6.6			21.6	10.2		10.2		$35,519
Henderson K-12 Inclusion School Lower	Public	PK, KG-1	1669 Dorchester Avenue	Dorchester	02122	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8725	196	25	7.7		27 (13.8%)	55 (28.1%)	64 (32.7%)	29 (14.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.6%)	16 (8.2%)								(n/a)																			$20,887
Lee Academy	Public	PK, KG-3	25 Dunbar Avenue	Dorchester	02124	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8618	195	17	11.2		10 (5.1%)	84 (43.1%)	85 (43.6%)	5 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.6%)								(n/a)	6.9						6.9	24.1						24.1					$36,501
King Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	77 Lawrence Avenue	Dorchester	02121	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8212	464	47	9.9		21 (4.5%)	230 (49.6%)	194 (41.8%)	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.8%)	4.6	896^th of 906 public elementary schools	1.1%		6.1	898^th of 916 public elementary schools	2.0%	2	11.9	8.7	7.7	15.0			10.9	3.4	2.1	2.6	5.0			3.2	2.8		2.8		$37,686
Conservatory Lab Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	395 Columbia Rd	Dorchester	02125	Suffolk County	Conservatory Lab Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(617) 254-8904	454	27	16.5		17 (3.7%)	229 (50.4%)	186 (41.0%)	5 (1.1%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.9%)	36.6	582^nd of 906 public elementary schools	35.8%		33.1	609^th of 916 public elementary schools	33.5%	27	38.0	33.3	33.3	51.2	40.0	32.0	37.9	35.3	33.3	27.5	32.6	28.0	16.0	30.2	26.0	20.0	24.0	12.0	$24,122
Mather Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	24 Parish Street	Dorchester	02122	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8757	473	44	10.8		32 (6.8%)	168 (35.5%)	93 (19.7%)	156 (33.0%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	18 (3.8%)	22	706^th of 906 public elementary schools	22.1%		32.9	613^th of 916 public elementary schools	33.1%	93	35.2	17.2	17.9	31.9			24.9	25.0	29.2	26.8	23.4			26.3	23.2		23.2		$35,435

Frequently Asked Questions about Holmes Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Holmes Elementary School attend?

What is the racial makeup of Holmes Elementary School?

Students at Holmes Elementary School are 53% African American, 40% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Holmes Elementary School in?

Boston

Is Holmes Elementary School a good school?

Holmes Elementary School ranks 676^th of 906 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Holmes Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 283 students attended Holmes Elementary School.

Rate Holmes Elementary 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.