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Shay Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-2

Summary

Amesbury Elementary is a public elementary school serving 328 students in grades PK-4 in Amesbury, MA, which is part of the Amesbury school district. This high-performing school consistently ranks among the top 30-40% of Massachusetts elementary schools, with strong academic results that outpace the state and nearby schools.

Amesbury Elementary stands out for its exceptional performance, particularly with special education and low-income students. In 2022-2023, the school ranked 140 out of 703 Massachusetts elementary schools for special education students and 57 out of 757 for low-income students, both with 4 or 5 stars. Additionally, the school has a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 12.2, compared to nearby schools ranging from 9.4 to 12.3. However, the school's student population is significantly less diverse than the state average, with 85.98% white students, which may indicate a need to examine efforts to promote diversity and inclusion.

Compared to nearby schools like Pentucket Lake Elementary, Newbury Elementary, and Edward G. Molin Elementary School, Amesbury Elementary consistently outperforms them on academic measures, particularly in English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency rates. This high-quality education is likely supported by the school's higher spending per student of $20,734 in 2020-2021, compared to the nearby schools' range of $16,011 to $22,572 per student.

485

Students ?

11.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,626

Per pupil spending ?

28.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

193R Lions Mouth Road
Amesbury, MA 01913-1199

(978) 388-3659

District: Amesbury

Students who attend Shay Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Amesbury Middle
High:	Amesbury High

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.2%

Hispanic:

12.8%

African American:

3.1%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 84th percentile in 2013 → 72nd in 2023

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (55% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2022-2023) ?

This school55%

District avg43%

Massachusetts avg41%

Not ranked this year

Shay Elementary did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

193^rd of 348Amesbury 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
2023	72.6	259 of 928	72.1%	★★★★☆
2022	66.0	318 of 932	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.9	401 of 936	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.7	258 of 942	72.6%	★★★★☆
2018	72.7	254 of 934	72.8%	★★★★☆
2017	60.8	377 of 938	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	50.7	499 of 932	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	71.6	262 of 914	71.3%	★★★★☆
2014	73.6	243 of 926	73.8%	★★★★☆
2013	82.4	144 of 928	84.5%	★★★★☆
2012	69.7	307 of 930	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	54.8	457 of 924	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	50.8	517 of 920	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	55.2	447 of 909	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	57.6	407 of 908	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	51.3	492 of 911	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	50.6	490 of 911	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	59.3	384 of 887	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2004	45.9	510 of 882	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2003	52.4	463 of 884	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	49.8	271 of 632	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.1	361 of 665	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.1	199 of 656	69.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2023	69.4	273 of 887	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.5	388 of 901	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.4	369 of 898	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.0	329 of 902	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.5	336 of 893	62.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2023	84.1	57 of 757	92.5%	★★★★★
2022	76.5	114 of 772	85.2%	★★★★☆
2021	54.2	287 of 705	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.8	110 of 700	84.3%	★★★★☆
2018	80.3	70 of 685	89.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2023	71.0	258 of 896	71.2%	★★★★☆
2022	70.9	250 of 908	72.5%	★★★★☆
2021	57.9	388 of 904	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	78.4	178 of 907	80.4%	★★★★☆
2018	75.2	208 of 898	76.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2023	72.1	140 of 703	80.1%	★★★★☆
2022	73.5	174 of 905	80.8%	★★★★☆
2021	44.4	491 of 894	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.9	312 of 896	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.0	227 of 886	74.4%	★★★★☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	65.0	332 of 925	64.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2023	57.4	317 of 762	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.6	312 of 764	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.0	439 of 765	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.8	272 of 780	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.1	248 of 772	67.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)92nd percentile+20 vs school

Special Education (2023)80th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2023)71st percentile~ school

Female (2023)69th percentile-3 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)64th percentile+7 vs school

White (2023)58th percentile-14 vs school

Disabled (2021)57th percentile~ school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2022-2023) ?

Mathematics60%+19 vs state

English Language Arts50%+8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Shay Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts (2025)							MCAS Next Generation Mathematics (2025)							MCAS Next Generation Science (2025)			MCAS Next Generation Civics (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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	Total
Shay Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	193R Lions Mouth Road	Amesbury	01913	Essex County	Amesbury	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 388-3659	485	41	11.9		389 (80.2%)	15 (3.1%)	62 (12.8%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.7%)								(n/a)																			$21,626
Charles C Cashman Elementary	Public	3-5	193 Lions Mouth Road	Amesbury	01913	Essex County	Amesbury	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 388-4407	413	34	12.3		334 (80.9%)	5 (1.2%)	61 (14.8%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.2%)	38.2	569^th of 906 public elementary schools	37.2%		46.2	511^th of 916 public elementary schools	44.2%	58	45.6	36.9	35.9				39.3	32.0	38.6	25.6				32.2	34.4		34.4		$21,551
Dr Frederick N Sweetsir	Public	PK, KG-2	104 Church Street	Merrimac	01860	Essex County	Pentucket	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 346-8319	217	17	12.4		185 (85.3%)	2 (0.9%)	15 (6.9%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (6.0%)								(n/a)																			$20,247
Dr John C Page School	Public	PK, KG-6	694 Main Street	West Newbury	01985	Essex County	Pentucket	No	No	No	No	(978) 363-2671	327	28	11.7		299 (91.4%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.8%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.8%)	83.4	140^th of 906 public elementary schools	84.5%		75.8	238^th of 916 public elementary schools	74.0%	98	56.8	72.4	56.4	57.5			59.5	56.8	72.4	63.6	68.3			64.5	65.5		65.5		$19,852
Helen R Donaghue School	Public	3-6	24 Union Street Ext.	Merrimac	01860	Essex County	Pentucket	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 346-8921	262	23	11.2		230 (87.8%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (9.2%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.3%)	58.1	374^th of 906 public elementary schools	58.7%		48	494^th of 916 public elementary schools	46.1%	120	48.6	38.2	35.0	53.6			44.4	45.1	45.5	50.0	50.0			47.5	45.0		45.0		$19,030
Francis T Bresnahan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	333 High Street	Newburyport	01950	Essex County	Newburyport	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 465-4431	584	61	9.5		514 (88.0%)	4 (0.7%)	42 (7.2%)	7 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.9%)								(n/a)	43.4						43.4	43.4						43.4					$22,768
Salisbury Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	100 Lafayette Rd.	Salisbury	01952	Essex County	Triton	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 463-5852	386	43	9.0		314 (81.3%)	13 (3.4%)	39 (10.1%)	9 (2.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.6%)	49.3	461^st of 906 public elementary schools	49.1%		37.8	578^th of 916 public elementary schools	36.9%	117	40.0	33.3	37.9	27.6			34.6	51.1	35.9	45.5	39.7			43.3	56.1		56.1		$25,374
Edward G. Molin Elementary School	Public	4-5	70 Low Street	Newburyport	01950	Essex County	Newburyport	No	No	No	No	(978) 463-8212	310	33	9.4		275 (88.7%)	1 (0.3%)	16 (5.2%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.2%)	61.9	348^th of 906 public elementary schools	61.6%		64.7	322^nd of 916 public elementary schools	64.8%	26		45.0	53.7				49.7		47.5	44.4				45.9	48.8		48.8		$22,856
River Valley Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	2 Perry Way	Newburyport	01950	Essex County	River Valley Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(978) 465-0065	288	25	11.4		243 (84.4%)	2 (0.7%)	19 (6.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	20 (6.9%)	58.2	373^rd of 906 public elementary schools	58.8%		48.9	482^nd of 916 public elementary schools	47.4%	109	59.4	48.5	38.7	61.8	69.7	78.6	59.2	28.1	39.4	32.3	50.0	57.6	82.1	47.6	54.8	75.0	64.4	71.4	$18,073
Newbury Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	63 Hanover Street	Newbury	01951	Essex County	Triton	No	No	No	No	(978) 465-5353	424	40	10.7		380 (89.6%)	3 (0.7%)	21 (5.0%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.8%)	78.1	202^nd of 906 public elementary schools	77.7%		84.5	129^th of 916 public elementary schools	85.9%	73	54.6	58.2	62.0	84.1			63.7	47.3	54.6	48.0	75.0			55.4	65.3		65.3		$25,101

Frequently Asked Questions about Shay Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Shay Elementary?

Students at Shay Elementary are 80% White, 13% Hispanic, 3% African American, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Shay Elementary in?

Amesbury

How many students attend Shay Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 485 students attended Shay Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Shay Elementary attend?

Students who attend Shay Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Amesbury Middle
High : Amesbury High

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Schools in Amesbury, MA

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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.