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Plum Cove School

Q: Is Plum Cove School a good school?

Plum Cove School ranks 384 th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

384^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 899 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 57% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Plum Cove School is a public K–5 elementary school in Gloucester, MA, serving 217 students as part of the Gloucester district.

Within Gloucester, Plum Cove School is the standout compared with its district peers. In 2025–2026, it ranked at the 57th percentile (3 stars), while the Gloucester district ranked at the 26th percentile (1 star). Its all-grade MCAS proficiency was 45.45% in ELA, 42.42% in math, and 45.71% in science, above district averages in all three subjects. Among Gloucester elementary schools, Plum Cove School had the highest ELA and math proficiency; West Parish edged it in science. Its ELA was more than 15 points above West Parish and Beeman Memorial, and nearly 15 points above East Veterans Elementary School; its math was 12–20 points above those schools. However, compared with nearby schools outside the district, Plum Cove School is more mid-to-lower: it outperforms Rockport Elementary but trails Manchester Memorial Elementary, Pine Grove, Paul F Doyon Memorial, Centerville Elementary, Winthrop, and Essex Elementary.

Results are uneven by grade and year. Fourth grade is a strength—ELA 52.38 and math 59.52—while fifth grade is solid. Third-grade math is the clearest red flag at 13.64% proficient, below the Gloucester district’s 23.15% and the state’s 42.19%. With only 217 students, grade-level swings can be volatile. For subgroups, low-income students ranked at the 80th percentile in 2025–2026, and special education students have been strong historically. Overall, Plum Cove School adds value within its district but has softened from the 84th percentile in 2020–2021 to 57th in 2025–2026, with moderate resources and a 12.9 student-teacher ratio.

217

Students ?

12.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,141

Per pupil spending ?

29.0%

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)

15 Hickory Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

(978) 282-3030

District: Gloucester

Students who attend Plum Cove School usually attend:

Middle:	Ralph B O'Maley Middle
High:	Gloucester High

Racial breakdown:

White:

84.8%

Two or more races:

6.5%

Hispanic:

6.0%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare Plum Cove School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 79th percentile in 2016 → 57th in 2026

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Gloucester

✓Above the Massachusetts median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg32%

Massachusetts avg41%

384^th of 899

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Top 43%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From top 21% (2016) to top 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Elementary Schools in the Gloucester

259^th of 351Gloucester 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	56.9	384 of 899	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.0	320 of 906	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.7	343 of 916	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.8	236 of 928	74.6%	★★★★☆
2022	76.0	215 of 932	76.9%	★★★★☆
2021	82.1	151 of 936	83.9%	★★★★☆
2019	73.7	249 of 942	73.6%	★★★★☆
2018	61.5	379 of 934	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	61.9	368 of 938	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	77.3	200 of 932	78.5%	★★★★☆
2015	77.1	198 of 914	78.3%	★★★★☆
2014	65.3	341 of 926	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	59.4	417 of 928	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.8	354 of 930	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	62.4	385 of 924	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	50.8	519 of 920	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	36.0	632 of 909	30.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	51.2	420 of 869	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	67.7	284 of 869	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.3	382 of 886	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.1	345 of 887	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.5	252 of 901	72.0%	★★★★☆
2021	67.7	283 of 898	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.8	360 of 902	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.0	417 of 893	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	68.8	147 of 742	80.2%	★★★★☆
2025	60.7	226 of 736	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	88.7	37 of 757	95.1%	★★★★★
2022	88.9	27 of 772	96.5%	★★★★★
2021	92.6	14 of 705	98.0%	★★★★★
2018	72.8	114 of 685	83.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	64.4	303 of 879	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.2	329 of 884	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.0	310 of 891	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	81.8	144 of 896	83.9%	★★★★☆
2022	76.7	186 of 908	79.5%	★★★★☆
2021	89.7	68 of 904	92.5%	★★★★★
2019	79.0	168 of 907	81.5%	★★★★☆
2018	65.9	305 of 898	66.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2024	45.3	351 of 731	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	79.6	88 of 703	87.5%	★★★★☆
2022	75.3	154 of 905	83.0%	★★★★☆
2021	83.5	93 of 894	89.6%	★★★★☆
2019	59.7	299 of 896	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.8	308 of 886	65.2%	★★★☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	79.1	183 of 925	80.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	44.0	435 of 734	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.1	349 of 737	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.8	409 of 753	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.7	277 of 762	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.1	250 of 764	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.3	174 of 765	77.3%	★★★★☆
2019	63.5	278 of 780	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.0	432 of 772	44.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Tested In Person (2021)80th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)80th percentile+23 vs school

Male (2026)66th percentile+8 vs school

Special Education (2024)52nd percentile-11 vs school

Female (2026)52nd percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)41st percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

Science46%+5 vs state

English Language Arts45%+5 vs state

Mathematics42%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Plum Cove 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)		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 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 All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Science 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Plum Cove School	Public	K-5	15 Hickory Street	Gloucester	01930	Essex County	Gloucester	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 282-3030	217	17	12.9	29.0%	184 (84.8%)	4 (1.8%)	13 (6.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (6.5%)	56.9	384^th of 899 public elementary schools	57.3%		66	320^th of 906 public elementary schools	64.7%	64	36.4	52.4	42.9		45.5	13.6	59.5	40.0		42.4	45.7	45.7	100%	0%	$23,141
Beeman Memorial	Public	K-5	138 Cherry Street	Gloucester	01930	Essex County	Gloucester	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 281-9825	292	31	9.5	53.1%	184 (63.0%)	9 (3.1%)	83 (28.4%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.8%)	24.3	685^th of 899 public elementary schools	23.8%		20.6	730^th of 906 public elementary schools	19.4%	45	34.0	25.5	31.4		30.1	23.9	26.3	15.7		22.1	31.4	31.4	91%	0%	$23,264
Rockport Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	34 Jerdens Lane	Rockport	01966	Essex County	Rockport	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 546-1220	264	29	9.0	26.1%	230 (87.1%)	2 (0.8%)	16 (6.1%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.9%)	46.9	475^th of 899 public elementary schools	47.2%		48.9	466^th of 906 public elementary schools	48.6%	9	52.5	43.6	25.5		39.7	47.5	51.3	27.1		40.9	34.0	34.0	100%	0%	$30,767
East Veterans Elementary School	Public	K-5	11 Webster Street	Gloucester	01930	Essex County	Gloucester	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(978) 281-9820	451	40	11.2	54.3%	282 (62.5%)	17 (3.8%)	115 (25.5%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	25 (5.5%)	26.5	653^rd of 899 public elementary schools	27.4%		30.1	635^th of 906 public elementary schools	29.9%	18	33.3	31.9	26.5		30.6	25.7	32.4	22.1		26.7	27.9	27.9	97%	0%	$22,918
West Parish	Public	K-5	10 Concord Street	Gloucester	01930	Essex County	Gloucester	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 281-9835	382	29	13.1	34.6%	322 (84.3%)	3 (0.8%)	30 (7.9%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	19 (5.0%)	33.2	604^th of 899 public elementary schools	32.8%		31.9	617^th of 906 public elementary schools	31.9%	13	36.7	18.3	29.0		28.0	23.3	25.0	41.9		30.2	48.4	48.4	82%	4%	$22,824
Essex Elementary	Public	K-5	12 Story Street	Essex	01929	Essex County	Manchester Essex Regional	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 768-7324	215	22	9.6	17.7%	201 (93.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.7%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.3%)	73.5	236^th of 899 public elementary schools	73.7%		65.2	328^th of 906 public elementary schools	63.8%	92	62.5	54.6	44.7		53.4	68.8	73.5	39.5		59.6	48.7	48.7	93%	3%	$26,034
Manchester Memorial Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	43 Lincoln Street	Manchester	01944	Essex County	Manchester Essex Regional	No	No	No	No	(978) 526-1908	304	31	9.9	8.2%	281 (92.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.9%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.3%)	87.6	108^th of 899 public elementary schools	88.0%		87.2	105^th of 906 public elementary schools	88.4%	3	65.4	76.3	68.8		69.6	50.0	81.6	65.3		63.8	71.4	71.4	97%	3%	$25,220
Winthrop	Public	PK, KG-5	65 Central Street	Ipswich	01938	Essex County	Ipswich	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 356-2976	373	37	10.1	24.7%	303 (81.2%)	4 (1.1%)	38 (10.2%)	10 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.8%)	72.7	242^nd of 899 public elementary schools	73.1%		75.2	227^th of 906 public elementary schools	74.9%	15	50.9	55.9	40.0		49.7	45.5	59.7	60.0		55.2	68.0	68.0	96%	0%	$26,159
Pine Grove	Public	PK, KG-6	191 Main Street	Rowley	01969	Essex County	Triton	No	No	No	No	(978) 948-2520	429	38	11.2	19.3%	395 (92.1%)	2 (0.5%)	16 (3.7%)	5 (1.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.1%)	83.6	139^th of 899 public elementary schools	84.5%		81.9	161^st of 906 public elementary schools	82.2%	22	62.5	54.4	76.3	57.9	61.2	60.6	50.0	79.0	66.7	62.0	81.6	81.6	88%	9%	$25,885
Paul F Doyon Memorial	Public	PK, KG-5	216 Linebrook Rd	Ipswich	01938	Essex County	Ipswich	No	No	No	No	(978) 356-5506	366	35	10.5	15.8%	301 (82.2%)	6 (1.6%)	32 (8.7%)	4 (1.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.7%)	78.6	184^th of 899 public elementary schools	79.5%		80.7	173^rd of 906 public elementary schools	80.9%	11	61.8	44.1	50.9		52.1	63.0	58.6	61.8		61.1	65.5	65.5	97%	3%	$26,167

Frequently Asked Questions about Plum Cove School

What schools do graduates of Plum Cove School attend?

Students who attend Plum Cove School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Ralph B O'Maley Middle
High : Gloucester High

What district is Plum Cove School in?

Gloucester

What is the racial makeup of Plum Cove School?

Students at Plum Cove School are 85% White, 6% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 2% African American.

How many students attend Plum Cove School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 217 students attended Plum Cove School.

Is Plum Cove School a good school?

Plum Cove School ranks 384^th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Plum Cove School!

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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.