Boston

The Boston district runs 104 schools — 71 elementary, 2 middle, 27 high, and 4 alternative — covering pre-kindergarten through grade 12, with about 45,400 students in total. The average school enrolls roughly 437 students, but sizes vary enormously: 28 students at Carter School versus 2,424 at Boston Latin School. District-wide, 29.41% of students meet expectations in ELA, 29.12% in math, and 24.94% in science, with an 81.3% graduation rate and an 8.8% dropout rate.

A small group of schools performs far above those averages. Boston Latin School posts ELA 86.05, math 93.73, science 70.74 and a 99% graduation rate. O'Bryant School of Math & Science is the most math-tilted school in the file, while Boston Latin Academy leans toward ELA. Outside the exam schools, Eliot K-8 Innovation School, Manning Elementary School (science 70.59), Warren-Prescott K-8 School (the highest civics result), Perry Elementary School, Bradley Elementary School, and Hale Elementary School all beat district and state averages. At the other end, Albert D Holland School of Technology, King Elementary School, Orchard Gardens K-8 School, Hennigan Elementary School, and Mario Umana Academy have ranked near the bottom of the state for three straight years.

The typical Boston school sits well below the district headline: median proficiency is about 22% in ELA and math and 17% in science, so the district average is lifted by a handful of top performers. Science is the weakest subject, and the middle grades are the weakest grades — Curley K-8 School, for example, drops to single digits in ELA and math by grade 7. Graduation and test scores do not move together: Melvin H. King South End Academy graduates 23.8%, while other low-scoring schools graduate near the district rate. Improvement happens — UP Academy Holland, Grew Elementary School, and Bates Elementary School have all climbed sharply in three years. Two cautions: the district rating shown for every school is the district's, not the school's, and spending figures date to 2020-21.