William P. Sapelli Elementary

William P. Sapelli Elementary is a K–4 school at 65 Begley Street in Agawam, MA, serving about 290 students — a mid-sized elementary that is smaller than its Agawam peers Benjamin J Phelps (304) and Clifford M Granger (361), and far smaller than the Springfield schools a couple of miles away, German Gerena Community School (621) and Philip G Coburn (699).

In 2025–26 the school ranked 409th of 899 elementary schools statewide — 55th percentile, 3 stars, its best showing since 2018–19. Proficiency is above both district and state averages in both tested subjects: 40.95% in English language arts (versus 34.41 district and 40.03 state) and 48.08% in math (versus 36.12 and 41.11). Math is the clear signature strength, running nearly 12 points above the district and 7 above the state. The soft spot is grade 4, where Sapelli is last among the three Agawam elementaries in both subjects (ELA 36.00, math 42.00, both just below the state line), while its grade-3 math result of 53.70 is its strongest cell.

Comparisons with nearby Springfield schools are striking: Sapelli's math proficiency is roughly 18 times that of Lincoln (2.67%) and more than four times Brightwood's (10.27%), schools in the same geography and spending range. Notably, the groups schools often struggle to serve do well here — English learners rank at the 89th percentile and low-income students at the 79th, both above the school's own 55th. Special education is the persistent weak point, at the 14th percentile. Spending ($17,898 per student, 2020–21) is higher than top-scoring neighbors Tatham and John R Fausey, and its 14.1:1 student–teacher ratio is higher too, so results here aren't explained by resources. Finally, results swing widely year to year — with 290 students, one cohort can move the numbers substantially, so treat this year's gain as promising rather than proven.