Elementary Schools in Athol-Royalston

Summary:

The Athol-Royalston school district in Massachusetts is home to two elementary schools: Athol Community Elementary School and Royalston Community School. Based on the available data, Royalston Community School appears to be the stronger-performing school in the district.

Royalston Community School consistently outperforms Athol Community Elementary School on key metrics such as school rankings and standardized test scores. In 2024-2025, Royalston Community School ranked 624th out of 906 Massachusetts elementary schools, while Athol Community Elementary School ranked 795th. Additionally, Royalston Community School had significantly higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science compared to Athol Community Elementary School and the district average.

Despite the similar per-student spending and student-teacher ratios between the two schools, the significant gap in academic performance suggests that factors beyond funding and staffing, such as curriculum, teaching methods, or school leadership, may be contributing to Royalston Community School's stronger performance. However, the overall low proficiency rates at both schools compared to the state average indicate that the Athol-Royalston district as a whole may face challenges in providing a high-quality education to its students.

District Detail

1062 Pleasant Street
Athol, MA 01331

(978) 249-2400

SchoolDigger Rank:
320^th of 348 Massachusetts districts

See the 2025 Massachusetts District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 1,604

Primary Schools: 2
Middle Schools: 1
High Schools: 1
Alternative Schools: 0

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)		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 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 All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Science 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science All Grades	Total
Athol Community Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1064 Pleasant Street	Athol	01331	Worcester County	Athol-Royalston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 645-9657	589	42	13.9		447 (75.9%)	15 (2.5%)	90 (15.3%)	11 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.4%)	14.2	795^th of 906 public elementary schools	12.3%		16.2	785^th of 916 public elementary schools	14.3%	10	17.4	20.4			18.8	22.6	24.5			23.5			$19,815
Royalston Community School	Public	PK, KG-6	96 Winchendon Rd	Royalston	01368	Worcester County	Athol-Royalston	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 249-2900	152	12	12.3		138 (90.8%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.6%)	31	624^th of 906 public elementary schools	31.1%		38.6	569^th of 916 public elementary schools	37.9%	55	33.3	13.3	36.8	30.8	29.6	33.3	26.7	26.3	23.1	28.2	47.4	47.4	$19,782

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Ralph C Mahar	5.05 mi	1	316^th
Orange	5.46 mi	1	338^th
Narragansett	6.63 mi	3	261^st
Petersham	6.85 mi	1	138^th
New Salem-Wendell	8.92 mi	1	285^th

See the top MA Massachusetts districts

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.