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Joseph A. Browne School

Public Grades 5-8

434^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 478 Massachusetts Middle Schools

Better than 9% of Massachusetts middle schools

Summary

Joseph A. Browne School is a grade 5–8 middle school at 180 Walnut Street in Chelsea, Massachusetts, serving 487 students in the Chelsea district, which ranks 321st of 351 Massachusetts districts — a bottom-decile district. The school itself ranked 434th of 478 ranked Massachusetts schools in 2025-2026 (9th percentile), and across ten ranked years it has never climbed out of the bottom fifth of the state.

On 2025-2026 MCAS tests, 14.04% of students met proficiency in English language arts, 11.66% in math, and 10.67% in science — below the district in every subject and roughly one-third of statewide rates. The most striking comparison is Eugene Wright Science and Technology Academy, which shares the same address and district: it posts 26.26% in ELA and 26.13% in science against Browne's 14.04% and 10.67%, while math is essentially identical (11.68% vs. 11.66%). Schools in nearby communities score much higher, including Winthrop Middle School (51.93% ELA / 53.78% math), Darby Vassall Upper School (53.14% / 53.11%), and Cambridge Street Upper School (49.65% / 44.44%). Against Clark Avenue School, 0.33 miles away, Browne trails in math and science but edges ahead in ELA and civics.

There are bright spots. Math proficiency climbs steadily by grade — 5.43% in 5th, 10.32% in 6th, 12.50% in 7th, 16.54% in 8th — and 8th-grade math is the one measure where Browne beats both the district and its Chelsea peers. Fifth grade is the sharpest weakness: 8.70% in ELA and 5.43% in math. Compared with schools serving similar students, Browne's homeless students rank at the 53rd percentile and English learners at the 25th, while students with disabilities sit at the 5th percentile, down from 15th two years earlier. Resources don't appear to be the constraint: the student-teacher ratio is 9.0 and per-student spending is $17,319 — smaller classes and higher spending than several higher-scoring neighbors. Free/reduced-lunch figures are suppressed by the state.

487

Students ?

9.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,450

Per pupil spending ?

90.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

180 Walnut Street
Chelsea, MA 02150

(617) 466-5235

District: Chelsea

Students who attend Joseph A. Browne School usually attend:

High:

Chelsea High

Feeder schools for Joseph A. Browne School:

Elementary:	Edgar F. Hooks Elementary
	Frank M Sokolowski Elementary
	George F. Kelly Elementary
	Shurtleff Early Childhood
	More...
	William A Berkowitz Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

86.0%

African American:

7.4%

White:

5.5%

See top rated Massachusetts middle schools

Compare Joseph A. Browne School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 6th percentile in 2016 → 9th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Massachusetts average (12% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!Science scores 30 pts below the Massachusetts average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school12%

District avg19%

Massachusetts avg41%

434^th of 478

Massachusetts public middle schools ?

Bottom 9%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Middle Schools in the Chelsea

321^st of 351Chelsea 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	11.9	434 of 478	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.8	438 of 484	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.8	453 of 493	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.4	435 of 501	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.2	398 of 497	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.6	439 of 501	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.0	462 of 498	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.3	440 of 484	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	9.4	452 of 487	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.3	451 of 482	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	6.9	416 of 441	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	5.9	431 of 455	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.9	432 of 455	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	13.0	403 of 455	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	14.6	388 of 449	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	10.2	396 of 434	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	13.1	369 of 409	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	11.2	365 of 407	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	7.5	380 of 399	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	7.8	367 of 399	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	44.5	108 of 215	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	19.1	186 of 206	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	25.2	350 of 445	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.4	422 of 431	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	424 of 424	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	34.1	144 of 193	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.2	129 of 181	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.1	125 of 180	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.1	92 of 155	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.1	145 of 154	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	32.3	119 of 135	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.9	64 of 138	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.5	63 of 127	50.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	10.6	437 of 468	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.5	439 of 473	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.0	447 of 481	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.4	423 of 489	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.3	390 of 494	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.1	427 of 483	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	6.3	456 of 478	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.6	436 of 463	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	23.4	321 of 383	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.2	304 of 376	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.6	309 of 378	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.5	254 of 364	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.2	186 of 368	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.5	265 of 335	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.2	284 of 322	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.3	245 of 309	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	40.1	18 of 38	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.1	23 of 42	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.8	12 of 36	66.7%	★★★★☆
2019	15.6	25 of 25	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	19.1	403 of 461	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.4	410 of 464	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.0	426 of 469	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	25.9	385 of 481	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.5	345 of 489	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.3	401 of 462	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.4	427 of 452	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.5	403 of 438	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	14.3	418 of 470	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.6	427 of 473	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.2	442 of 483	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	432 of 489	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.2	395 of 497	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.7	432 of 485	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.9	450 of 478	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.2	427 of 466	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	18.1	415 of 436	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.6	415 of 435	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.6	377 of 441	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.3	365 of 444	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.9	337 of 503	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.5	424 of 489	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.1	453 of 484	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.3	432 of 467	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	10.3	450 of 491	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Tested Remotely

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	23.2	273 of 339	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2023	10.2	376 of 403	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2026)53rd percentile+43 vs school

African American (2026)50th percentile+41 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)25th percentile+16 vs school

Disabled (2022)21st percentile~ school

Tested Remotely (2021)19th percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2026)16th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)13th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)11th percentile~ school

Tested In Person (2021)8th percentile-4 vs school

White (2023)7th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2026)7th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)5th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts14%-26 vs state

Civics12%-28 vs state

Mathematics12%-29 vs state

Science11%-30 vs state

★

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Schools Near Joseph A. Browne 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 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 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
Eugene Wright Science and Technology Academy	Public	5-8	180 Walnut Street	Chelsea	02150	Suffolk County	Chelsea	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 466-5240	436	45	9.7	92.3%	40 (9.2%)	23 (5.3%)	369 (84.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	20.4	387^th of 478 public middle schools	19.0%		18.8	397^th of 484 public middle schools	18.0%	10	34.5	12.2	28.0	30.6	26.3	20.7	5.1	8.1	13.6	11.7	25.3	26.8	26.1	25.0	$25,598
Joseph A. Browne School	Public	5-8	180 Walnut Street	Chelsea	02150	Suffolk County	Chelsea	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 466-5235	487	54	9.0	90.5%	27 (5.5%)	36 (7.4%)	419 (86.0%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	11.9	434^th of 478 public middle schools	9.2%		11.8	438^th of 484 public middle schools	9.5%	4	8.7	19.1	9.7	16.7	14.0	5.4	10.3	12.5	16.5	11.7	12.0	9.8	10.7	12.0	$23,450
Clark Avenue School	Public	5-8	8 Clark Avenue	Chelsea	02150	Suffolk County	Chelsea	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 466-5100	673	53	12.7	89.4%	25 (3.7%)	26 (3.9%)	616 (91.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	11.6	437^th of 478 public middle schools	8.6%		9.2	456^th of 484 public middle schools	5.8%	19	15.1	13.3	14.4	12.7	13.8	15.8	17.7	13.8	15.4	15.6	17.1	9.6	13.2	9.0	$21,648
Susan B. Anthony Middle School	Public	6-8	107 Newhall Street	Revere	02151	Suffolk County	Revere	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 388-7520	545	61	8.9	80.8%	147 (27.0%)	15 (2.8%)	351 (64.4%)	24 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.5%)	21	383^rd of 478 public middle schools	19.9%		26.2	347^th of 484 public middle schools	28.3%	36		25.0	19.6	22.9	22.6		28.8	11.0	22.9	21.1		18.3	18.3	21.1	$22,296
Rumney Marsh Academy	Public	6-8	140 American Legion Highway	Revere	02151	Suffolk County	Revere	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 388-3500	587	57	10.3	77.9%	148 (25.2%)	20 (3.4%)	388 (66.1%)	22 (3.7%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.0%)	31.5	318^th of 478 public middle schools	33.5%		26.1	349^th of 484 public middle schools	27.9%	31		26.0	24.7	34.7	28.4		26.8	20.8	31.7	26.3		22.6	22.6	36.9	$19,447
Garfield Middle School	Public	6-8	176 Garfield Avenue	Revere	02151	Suffolk County	Revere	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 286-8298	542	50	10.7	83.5%	116 (21.4%)	15 (2.8%)	370 (68.3%)	25 (4.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.8%)	36.2	286^th of 478 public middle schools	40.2%		27	339^th of 484 public middle schools	30.0%	53		26.0	22.8	39.7	29.8		30.6	19.6	41.3	30.8		25.1	25.1	38.0	$18,800
Winthrop Middle School	Public	6-8	60 Payson Street	Winthrop	02152	Suffolk County	Winthrop	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 846-5507	439	33	13.2		409 (93.2%)	19 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	69.5	127^th of 478 public middle schools	73.4%		70.4	128^th of 484 public middle schools	73.6%	1		42.9	60.0	54.3	51.9		54.7	47.9	58.7	53.8		37.0	37.0	40.6	$18,194
Next Wave Junior High	Public	6-8	81 Highland Ave	Somerville	02143	Middlesex County	Somerville	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 629-5640	16	5	3.1	85.0%	6 (37.5%)	2 (12.5%)	6 (37.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (12.5%)								(n/a)					9.1					9.1					$74,046
Darby Vassall Upper School	Public	6-8	183 Vassal Lane	Cambridge	02138	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-6550	298	43	7.0	42.7%	106 (35.6%)	81 (27.2%)	37 (12.4%)	52 (17.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (7.0%)	73.2	111^th of 478 public middle schools	76.8%		72.2	121^st of 484 public middle schools	75.0%	10		54.7	54.2	50.6	53.1		48.8	60.2	49.4	53.1		43.8	43.8	48.3	$40,197
Cambridge Street Upper School	Public	6-8	840 Cambridge Street	Cambridge	02141	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 349-3050	301	36	8.2	52.1%	102 (33.9%)	95 (31.6%)	35 (11.6%)	26 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	38 (12.6%)	66.4	139^th of 478 public middle schools	70.9%		52.2	203^rd of 484 public middle schools	58.1%	64		45.4	42.5	59.8	49.7		41.7	34.1	56.1	44.4		50.5	50.5	47.4	$37,291

Frequently Asked Questions about Joseph A. Browne School

What is the racial makeup of Joseph A. Browne School?

Students at Joseph A. Browne School are 86% Hispanic, 7% African American, 6% White.

Is Joseph A. Browne School a good school?

Joseph A. Browne School ranks in the bottom 9.2% of Massachusetts middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Joseph A. Browne School attend?

Students who attend Joseph A. Browne School usually go on to attend Chelsea High

How many students attend Joseph A. Browne School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 487 students attended Joseph A. Browne School.

What district is Joseph A. Browne School in?

Chelsea

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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.