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Holmes Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-6

714^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 899 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 21% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Holmes Elementary School is a PK–6 school in Dorchester serving 283 students in the Boston school district, which ranks 299th of 351 districts statewide. Holmes ranked 714th of 899 schools in 2025–26 (21st percentile, 1 star), a modest improvement from the 5th percentile in 2020–21 and the 8th percentile in 2022–23, with its best recent year at the 25th percentile in 2024–25. In 2025–26, proficiency was 27.21% in English language arts, 20.59% in math, and 23.33% in science — all below district and state averages, though all three have risen since 2022–23.

Compared with nearby schools in the same district, Holmes had the highest ELA proficiency in 2025–26, slightly ahead of Mather Elementary School and UP Academy Holland. In math and science it trails both of those schools, and it also trails Lee Academy in math. Holmes clearly outperforms King Elementary School, Shaw-Taylor Elementary School, Greenwood Sarah K-8 School, and Lee K-8 School in every tested subject. Among charters, Conservatory Lab Charter School is stronger in ELA and math, while UP Academy Charter School of Dorchester is similar in math and science but lower in ELA.

Grade-level results vary widely. Third grade math is a major weakness at 8.33%, while fourth grade math is Holmes's strongest result at 34.29%, above the district average. Fourth grade ELA (31.43%) also beats the district average, and science is tested only in 5th grade, at 23.33%. Rankings for several student groups sit above the school's overall standing: Hispanic students at the 65th percentile, African American students at the 54th, special education students at the 58th, and low-income students at the 51st. Holmes has a 9.4 student–teacher ratio and $29,700 per-pupil spending (2020–21) — favorable next to most nearby schools — yet proficiency remains below district and state averages. Note that free/reduced-lunch data are suppressed and spending figures are not current.

283

Students ?

9.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$38,138

Per pupil spending ?

77.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

40 School Street
Dorchester, MA 02124

(617) 635-8681

District: Boston

Racial breakdown:

African American:

53.0%

Hispanic:

40.3%

Two or more races:

3.9%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare Holmes Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 3rd percentile in 2016 → 21st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Massachusetts average (24% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!Mathematics scores 21 pts below the Massachusetts average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school24%

District avg29%

Massachusetts avg41%

714^th of 899

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Bottom 21%▲ up 17 pts since 2016

From bottom 3% (2016) to bottom 21% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

35^th of 63Elementary Schools in the Boston

299^th of 351Boston 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	21.3	714 of 899	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.1	676 of 906	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.3	772 of 916	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.7	851 of 928	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.4	826 of 932	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.2	885 of 936	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.5	863 of 942	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.2	810 of 934	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	6.6	901 of 938	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	6.1	903 of 932	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	14.9	808 of 914	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	6.7	890 of 926	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.9	880 of 928	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	7.7	875 of 930	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	7.4	879 of 924	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	20.3	779 of 920	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	22.4	749 of 909	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	28.6	708 of 908	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	17.2	785 of 911	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	18.8	766 of 911	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	6.0	851 of 887	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	5.9	847 of 882	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	4.9	844 of 884	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	47.6	87 of 188	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.9	63 of 169	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.9	116 of 167	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.8	152 of 167	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.8	146 of 173	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.7	127 of 166	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	48.2	85 of 172	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.4	84 of 174	51.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	29.7	474 of 672	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.5	417 of 632	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.9	372 of 665	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.8	286 of 656	56.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	21.7	699 of 869	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.0	729 of 869	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.0	786 of 886	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.2	860 of 887	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.6	803 of 901	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.9	863 of 898	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.6	766 of 902	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.3	636 of 893	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	54.0	166 of 475	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.3	135 of 458	70.5%	★★★★☆
2024	52.3	166 of 446	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.9	171 of 420	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.5	74 of 401	81.5%	★★★★☆
2021	15.0	368 of 379	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	336 of 398	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.2	273 of 379	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	47.7	367 of 742	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.0	335 of 736	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.7	460 of 760	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.8	633 of 757	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.7	581 of 772	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.1	659 of 705	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.3	519 of 700	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.0	471 of 685	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	23.4	694 of 879	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.6	584 of 884	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.9	691 of 891	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	798 of 896	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	793 of 908	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.0	824 of 904	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.1	853 of 907	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.2	825 of 898	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	49.9	300 of 709	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.1	365 of 717	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.2	471 of 731	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.0	459 of 703	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.4	707 of 905	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.2	832 of 894	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.1	710 of 896	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.1	651 of 886	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	10.5	860 of 925	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Tested Remotely

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	18.7	344 of 399	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)65th percentile+44 vs school

Special Education (2026)58th percentile+37 vs school

African American (2026)54th percentile+33 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)51st percentile+30 vs school

Disabled (2022)29th percentile+18 vs school

Male (2026)21st percentile~ school

Female (2026)20th percentile~ school

Tested Remotely (2021)14th percentile+8 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)7th percentile~ school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts27%-13 vs state

Science23%-18 vs state

Mathematics21%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Holmes Elementary 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 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)	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 (2015)	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	Total
Holmes Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	40 School Street	Dorchester	02124	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8681	283	30	9.4	77.6%	2 (0.7%)	150 (53.0%)	114 (40.3%)	5 (1.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.9%)	21.3	714^th of 899 public elementary schools	20.6%		25.1	676^th of 906 public elementary schools	25.4%	38	25.0	31.4	26.7	25.7			27.2	8.3	34.3	20.0	20.0			20.6	23.3		23.3		$38,138
Greenwood Sarah K-8 School	Public	PK, KG-8	189 Glenway Street	Dorchester	02121	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8710	357	38	9.3	84.3%	6 (1.7%)	38 (10.6%)	307 (86.0%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	5.8	876^th of 899 public elementary schools	2.6%		6.9	876^th of 906 public elementary schools	3.3%		15.0	2.6	12.2	6.4	0.0	9.1	8.0	10.0	0.0	7.5	6.4	0.0	22.7	7.1	17.5	10.0	15.0	9.1	$37,061
UP Academy Charter School of Dorchester	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	35 Westville Street	Boston	02124	Suffolk County	UP Academy Charter School of Dorchester (District)	Yes	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8810	640	58	11.0	79.4%	8 (1.3%)	324 (50.6%)	279 (43.6%)	11 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (2.5%)	13.4	802^nd of 899 public elementary schools	10.8%		13.1	812^th of 906 public elementary schools	10.4%	10	17.7	14.5	14.3	29.0	24.6	26.4	20.8	15.2	17.7	14.5	26.2	17.7	37.7	20.8	14.3	30.2	21.1	43.4	$22,029
Lee K-8 School	Public	PK, KG-8	155 Talbot Avenue	Dorchester	02124	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8687	551	59	9.3	78.9%	20 (3.6%)	264 (47.9%)	230 (41.7%)	14 (2.5%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	17 (3.1%)	16.1	776^th of 899 public elementary schools	13.7%		5.5	889^th of 906 public elementary schools	1.9%	113	14.8	19.2	25.0	17.7	11.5	9.4	15.9	16.7	8.3	37.5	17.7	1.6	0.0	13.0	20.8	1.9	10.8	0.0	$38,625
UP Academy Holland	Public	PK, KG-6	85 Olney Street	Dorchester	02121	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8832	641	44	14.4	99.2%	15 (2.3%)	294 (45.9%)	292 (45.6%)	12 (1.9%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (3.6%)	30.7	622^nd of 899 public elementary schools	30.8%		18.1	762^nd of 906 public elementary schools	15.9%	140	18.9	25.9	31.0	29.7			26.7	48.7	27.1	35.7	24.4			33.3	32.1		32.1		$35,519
Henderson K-12 Inclusion School Lower	Public	PK, KG-1	1669 Dorchester Avenue	Dorchester	02122	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8725	196	25	7.7	43.4%	27 (13.8%)	55 (28.1%)	64 (32.7%)	29 (14.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.6%)	16 (8.2%)								(n/a)																			$20,887
Lee Academy	Public	PK, KG-3	25 Dunbar Avenue	Dorchester	02124	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8618	195	17	11.2	73.6%	10 (5.1%)	84 (43.1%)	85 (43.6%)	5 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.6%)								(n/a)	18.8						18.8	21.9						21.9					$36,501
King Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	77 Lawrence Avenue	Dorchester	02121	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8212	464	47	9.9	82.8%	21 (4.5%)	230 (49.6%)	194 (41.8%)	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.8%)	4.2	894^th of 899 public elementary schools	0.6%		4.6	896^th of 906 public elementary schools	1.1%	2	14.6	6.9	8.1	3.2			8.8	9.1	3.5	0.0	3.2			4.4	5.4		5.4		$37,686
Conservatory Lab Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	395 Columbia Rd	Dorchester	02125	Suffolk County	Conservatory Lab Charter (District)	Yes	No	No	Yes	(617) 254-8904	454	27	16.5	64.4%	17 (3.7%)	229 (50.4%)	186 (41.0%)	5 (1.1%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.9%)	30.1	625^th of 899 public elementary schools	30.5%		36.6	582^nd of 906 public elementary schools	35.8%	43	32.1	31.5	32.0	41.3	50.0	40.9	36.6	17.0	33.3	18.0	39.1	25.0	34.8	27.1	24.0	21.7	23.3	8.7	$24,122
Mather Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	24 Parish Street	Dorchester	02122	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8757	473	44	10.8	73.6%	32 (6.8%)	168 (35.5%)	93 (19.7%)	156 (33.0%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	18 (3.8%)	25	676^th of 899 public elementary schools	24.8%		22	706^th of 906 public elementary schools	22.1%	30	32.8	22.4	25.5	25.9			26.7	29.5	31.0	16.4	29.3			26.7	32.7		32.7		$35,435

Frequently Asked Questions about Holmes Elementary School

Is Holmes Elementary School a good school?

Holmes Elementary School ranks in the bottom 20.6% of Massachusetts elementary schools.

What district is Holmes Elementary School in?

Boston

What schools do graduates of Holmes Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Holmes Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Higginson-Lewis K-8 School
Middle : Ohrenberger School
High : Albert D Holland School of Technology
High : Another Course To College
High : Boston Adult Technical Academy
High : Boston Arts Academy
High : Boston Day and Evening Academy Charter School
High : Boston Green Academy Horace Mann Charter School
High : Boston International High School & Newcomers Academy
High : Boston Latin Academy
High : Boston Latin School
High : Brighton High School
High : Charlestown High School
High : Community Academy
High : Community Academy of Science and Health
High : Dearborn STEM Academy
High : East Boston High School
High : Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann
High : English High School
High : Excel High School
High : Fenway High School
High : Greater Egleston High School
High : Lyon High School
High : Madison Park Technical Vocational High School
High : Margarita Muniz Academy
High : New Mission High School
High : O'Bryant School of Math & Science
High : Quincy Upper School
High : Ruth Batson Academy
High : Snowden International High School
High : TechBoston Academy
Alternative : Carter School

What is the racial makeup of Holmes Elementary School?

Students at Holmes Elementary School are 53% African American, 40% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Holmes Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 283 students attended Holmes Elementary School.

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Latest Massachusetts data All new data »

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesMar 5, 2026

2024–25 MCAS Next Generation test scoresSep 29, 2025

2023–24 school spending dataMay 8, 2025

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 1, 2025

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.