Elementary Schools in Worcester

Worcester has 34 elementary schools serving about 13,192 students, most covering PK or K through grade 6, with Rice Square a K–5 school and Worcester Academic Center for Transition (ACT) a very small K–6 transition program. All belong to the Worcester district, which is ranked 304 of 351 districts statewide — 13th percentile, 1 star. District proficiency in 2025–2026 is 24.98% in ELA, 24.25% in math, and 23.97% in science, far below Massachusetts averages of 40.03%, 41.11%, and 40.98%.

Performance varies enormously from school to school. Only three schools beat the state average in all three subjects: Flagg Street, West Tatnuck, and Lake View. Worcester Arts Magnet School and Midland Street come close, missing the state mark in just one subject each. Among the 33 ranked schools, 22 have 1 star or fewer, 20 sit in the bottom quartile statewide, and the median rank percentile is about 20. At the other end are Woodland Academy, Quinsigamond, City View, Vernon Hill School, and Grafton Street, where proficiency is often under 20% in every subject.

Some schools are improving: Francis J McGrath Elementary, Midland Street, Columbus Park, Worcester Arts Magnet School, and Thorndyke Road posted meaningful gains, while Heard Street, May Street, Wawecus Road School, Elm Park Community, and Belmont Street Community saw sharp single-year drops in at least one subject. Size, spending, and class size do not explain results well — Nelson Place performs well despite 621 students, and Flagg Street has the highest student-teacher ratio among regular schools yet the best math proficiency. Worcester Academic Center for Transition (ACT) should be viewed separately because of its 0% ELA and math proficiency, 49 students, and no rank history.