High Schools in Fall River

The Fall River area is home to two high schools, B.M.C. Durfee High School and Resiliency Preparatory Academy, both of which are struggling academically according to the available data. Neither school stands out as a high performer, with both ranking in the bottom tier of Massachusetts high schools and facing challenges such as low graduation rates, high dropout rates, and poor test scores.

B.M.C. Durfee High School has a statewide ranking between 286 and 316 out of 347-349 high schools, with a 0-1 star rating, while Resiliency Preparatory Academy is ranked 349 out of 349 schools with a 0 star rating. Both schools have a four-year graduation rate of 66.4% and an 18.8% dropout rate for the 2023-2024 school year. The MCAS proficiency rates at B.M.C. Durfee High School are significantly lower than the state averages in all subject areas, with the lowest being 0% proficient in Physics, and Resiliency Preparatory Academy has a 0% proficiency rate in all MCAS subject areas reported.

Despite the higher spending per student at Resiliency Preparatory Academy ($20,732) compared to B.M.C. Durfee High School ($17,532), the academic outcomes at both schools remain poor, suggesting that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution. Additionally, the relatively low student-teacher ratios at both schools (10.7 and 9.8, respectively) indicate that class size may not be the primary driver of the poor performance, and other factors such as curriculum, teaching quality, and student support services may need to be examined more closely.