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Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

Public, Charter Grades PK, KG-6

3^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 899 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 100% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School is a PK–6 charter elementary school at 21 Notre Dame Avenue in Cambridge, MA, serving 352 students, and it operates as its own district, Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District), which ranks 1st of 351 districts statewide. At the school level, Banneker is ranked 3rd of 899 Massachusetts schools in 2025–2026, up from 13th the prior year and 152nd in 2020–2021 — a steady climb into the top tier of the state.

In 2025–2026, 81.01% of Banneker students met or exceeded expectations in ELA, 87.15% in math, and 80% in science — roughly double the statewide rates of 40.03%, 41.11%, and 40.98%. ELA and math results are the highest among nearby schools, including Maria L. Baldwin (78.75 ELA, 83.13 math) and Benjamin G Brown (79.80 ELA, 78.79 math), the only nearby school ahead in science at 85.19%. Against Peabody, Graham and Parks, John F. Kennedy, West Somerville Neighborhood, Haggerty, Missituk, Hardy, and Thompson, Banneker is about 20 points higher in ELA and science and 26 points higher in math. Third grade math is a standout at 97.87% proficient.

Results are strong at every tested grade, and subgroup rankings place the school 1st statewide for female students and for students from low-income backgrounds in recent years, plus the top 1–2% for male students and students with disabilities where data are available. These outcomes come with the highest student–teacher ratio (18.5) among nearby schools and per-student spending ($24,797 in 2020–2021) below that of nearby Cambridge schools. One caveat: Banneker serves PK–6 while some neighbors serve PK–5 or PK–8, so all-grade comparisons cover slightly different grades — though shared grades 3 through 6 confirm the same pattern.

352

Students ?

18.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,489

Per pupil spending ?

58.8%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students in Massachusetts receive free school meals.

100%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2025-26)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

21 Notre Dame Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02140

(617) 497-7771

District: Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District)

Racial breakdown:

African American:

84.1%

Hispanic:

6.3%

Two or more races:

3.7%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 76th percentile in 2016 → 100th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (84% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of Massachusetts elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school84%

District avg84%

Massachusetts avg41%

3^rd of 899

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Top 1%▲ up 23 pts since 2016

From top 24% (2016) to top 1% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 351Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District) 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
2026	97.9	3 of 899	99.7%	★★★★★
2025	95.7	13 of 906	98.6%	★★★★★
2024	96.0	12 of 916	98.7%	★★★★★
2023	95.1	22 of 928	97.6%	★★★★★
2022	93.6	33 of 932	96.5%	★★★★★
2021	81.9	152 of 936	83.8%	★★★★☆
2019	83.8	127 of 942	86.5%	★★★★☆
2018	78.1	190 of 934	79.7%	★★★★☆
2017	84.5	116 of 938	87.6%	★★★★☆
2016	75.4	222 of 932	76.2%	★★★★☆
2014	58.4	429 of 926	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	46.9	539 of 928	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	40.3	602 of 930	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	27.4	713 of 924	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	20.0	782 of 920	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	18.9	772 of 909	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	11.4	823 of 908	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	16.1	793 of 911	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	9.8	841 of 911	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	11.8	797 of 887	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	13.5	769 of 882	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	4.4	853 of 884	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	100.0	1 of 188	99.5%	★★★★★
2025	99.9	1 of 169	99.4%	★★★★★
2024	99.9	1 of 167	99.4%	★★★★★
2023	100.0	1 of 167	99.4%	★★★★★
2022	99.9	1 of 173	99.4%	★★★★★
2021	99.4	1 of 166	99.4%	★★★★★
2019	98.6	3 of 172	98.3%	★★★★★
2018	97.3	1 of 174	99.4%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	74.2	114 of 632	82.0%	★★★★☆
2018	61.8	193 of 656	70.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	97.7	1 of 869	99.9%	★★★★★
2025	97.2	1 of 869	99.9%	★★★★★
2024	97.7	1 of 886	99.9%	★★★★★
2023	95.6	9 of 887	99.0%	★★★★★
2022	90.7	57 of 901	93.7%	★★★★★
2021	76.4	196 of 898	78.2%	★★★★☆
2019	74.7	214 of 902	76.3%	★★★★☆
2018	68.6	285 of 893	68.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	100.0	1 of 742	99.9%	★★★★★
2025	100.0	1 of 736	99.9%	★★★★★
2024	99.9	2 of 760	99.7%	★★★★★
2023	100.0	1 of 757	99.9%	★★★★★
2022	99.9	2 of 772	99.7%	★★★★★
2021	97.5	5 of 705	99.3%	★★★★★
2019	93.2	12 of 700	98.3%	★★★★★
2018	92.0	16 of 685	97.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	96.5	9 of 879	99.0%	★★★★★
2025	91.5	48 of 884	94.6%	★★★★★
2024	90.9	49 of 891	94.5%	★★★★★
2023	91.5	54 of 896	94.0%	★★★★★
2022	94.4	21 of 908	97.7%	★★★★★
2021	81.3	160 of 904	82.3%	★★★★☆
2019	86.5	95 of 907	89.5%	★★★★☆
2018	81.5	140 of 898	84.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	94.9	14 of 717	98.0%	★★★★★
2022	99.7	1 of 905	99.9%	★★★★★
2021	93.5	24 of 894	97.3%	★★★★★
2019	91.4	23 of 896	97.4%	★★★★★
2018	89.4	44 of 886	95.0%	★★★★★

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	81.6	159 of 925	82.8%	★★★★☆

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)

Female (2026)100th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)100th percentile~ school

African American (2026)99th percentile~ school

Male (2026)99th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)98th percentile~ school

Tested In Person (2021)83rd percentile~ school

Disabled (2021)82nd percentile~ school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics87%+46 vs state

English Language Arts81%+41 vs state

Science80%+39 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, August 8, 2017

BBCPS is a great school. The teachers and administrators are dedicated in teaching the students academics skills needed to be successful in classrooms, standardized tests and in public.
My biggest regret is not enrolling my eldest daughter in the school when she was a lot younger. It's sad that the school stops at six grade. Close Quote

Schools Near Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts (2026)							MCAS Next Generation Mathematics (2026)							MCAS Next Generation Science (2026)			MCAS Next Generation Civics (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	Directly certified (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	21 Notre Dame Avenue	Cambridge	02140	Middlesex County	Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District)	Yes	No	No	Yes	(617) 497-7771	352	19	18.5	58.8%	9 (2.6%)	296 (84.1%)	22 (6.3%)	11 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.7%)	97.9	3^rd of 899 public elementary schools	99.7%		95.7	13^th of 906 public elementary schools	98.6%	10	91.5	71.1	75.6	85.7			81.0	97.9	84.4	80.0	85.7			87.2	80.0		80.0		100%	0%	$23,489
Peabody	Public	PK, KG-5	70 Rindge Avenue	Cambridge	02140	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-6530	314	28	11.2	30.9%	128 (40.8%)	80 (25.5%)	20 (6.4%)	48 (15.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (11.1%)	77.7	194^th of 899 public elementary schools	78.4%		77.1	216^th of 906 public elementary schools	76.2%	22	68.9	55.8	53.9				59.8	62.2	59.1	48.7				57.0	48.7		48.7		100%	0%	$39,148
Graham and Parks	Public	PK, KG-5	44 Linnaean Street	Cambridge	02138	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-6577	367	33	11.1	31.3%	156 (42.5%)	66 (18.0%)	28 (7.6%)	86 (23.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (8.2%)	66.6	294^th of 899 public elementary schools	67.3%		77.9	206^th of 906 public elementary schools	77.3%	88	51.1	50.0	48.0				49.6	47.8	67.4	44.0				52.5	46.0		46.0		92%	0%	$38,199
John F Kennedy	Public	PK, KG-8	5 Cherry Street	Somerville	02144	Middlesex County	Somerville	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 629-5440	439	31	14.3	24.1%	285 (64.9%)	14 (3.2%)	56 (12.8%)	32 (7.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (11.2%)	84.1	134^th of 899 public elementary schools	85.1%		80.4	178^th of 906 public elementary schools	80.4%	44	67.4	50.0	57.5	63.2	79.6	72.1	64.5	66.0	48.9	68.1	71.0	71.1	69.8	66.1	63.8	64.3	64.0	71.4	100%	0%	$28,413
Benjamin G Brown	Public	K-5	201 Willow Avenue	Somerville	02144	Middlesex County	Somerville	No	No	No	No	(617) 629-5620	219	15	14.5	11.9%	140 (63.9%)	17 (7.8%)	14 (6.4%)	14 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	32 (14.6%)	97	6^th of 899 public elementary schools	99.3%		90	70^th of 906 public elementary schools	92.3%	64	87.1	73.2	81.5				79.8	87.1	75.6	74.1				78.8	85.2		85.2		100%	0%	$25,175
West Somerville Neighborhood	Public	PK, KG-8	177 Powderhouse Blvd	Somerville	02144	Middlesex County	Somerville	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 625-6600	397	27	14.4	30.2%	233 (58.7%)	43 (10.8%)	39 (9.8%)	29 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	49 (12.3%)	56.9	383^rd of 899 public elementary schools	57.4%		47.4	479^th of 906 public elementary schools	47.1%	96	72.2	28.2	40.0	40.0	45.7	48.7	45.4	66.7	43.6	36.1	42.2	45.7	42.1	45.6	47.2	47.4	47.3	50.0	95%	0%	$25,818
Maria L. Baldwin	Public	PK, KG-5	85 Oxford Street	Cambridge	02138	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-6525	360	33	10.9	17.2%	207 (57.5%)	33 (9.2%)	27 (7.5%)	37 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (15.6%)	97.1	5^th of 899 public elementary schools	99.4%		96.6	8^th of 906 public elementary schools	99.1%	3	87.0	74.6	74.5				78.8	83.3	81.4	85.1				83.1	74.5		74.5		98%	2%	$38,310
Hardy	Public	K-5	52 Lake Street	Arlington	02474	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 316-3781	382	34	11.3	10.5%	236 (61.8%)	9 (2.4%)	31 (8.1%)	55 (14.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (13.1%)	91	64^th of 899 public elementary schools	92.9%		88.4	92^nd of 906 public elementary schools	89.8%	28	73.3	61.8	66.7				66.8	68.3	65.3	70.0				67.7	76.7		76.7		99%	0%	$22,700
Thompson	Public	K-5	187 Everett Street	Arlington	02474	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 316-3768	537	39	13.6	19.9%	325 (60.5%)	25 (4.7%)	49 (9.1%)	71 (13.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (12.1%)	90.3	72^nd of 899 public elementary schools	92.0%		80.5	177^th of 906 public elementary schools	80.5%	105	64.3	69.3	70.9				68.2	63.4	71.3	62.8				65.9	73.3		73.3		100%	0%	$20,113
Haggerty	Public	PK, KG-5	110 Cushing Street	Cambridge	02138	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-6555	250	30	8.3	40.8%	87 (34.8%)	47 (18.8%)	26 (10.4%)	63 (25.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (10.8%)	56.9	385^th of 899 public elementary schools	57.2%		79	193^rd of 906 public elementary schools	78.7%	192	47.4	41.0	50.0				46.3	44.7	55.0	45.7				48.4	30.4		30.4		89%	3%	$42,747

Frequently Asked Questions about Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

How many students attend Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 352 students attended Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School.

Is Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School a good school?

Yes! Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 3^rd of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School?

Students at Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School are 84% African American, 6% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 3% White.

What district is Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School in?

Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District)

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Latest Massachusetts data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataNewNov 1, 2026

2020–21 through 2023–24 school spending data (updated)NewNov 1, 2026

2023–24 through 2024–25 teacher salary dataNewNov 1, 2026

2020–21 through 2022–23 teacher salary data (updated)NewNov 1, 2026

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.