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Wm L Foster Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

34^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 906 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 96% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Wm L Foster Elementary is a public elementary school in Hingham, Massachusetts, serving 391 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school consistently ranks among the top 50 elementary schools in the state, with exceptional academic performance and a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Wm L Foster Elementary excels in several key areas. Its students consistently achieve proficiency rates in MCAS assessments that significantly exceed state averages, often surpassing 70% in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. The school's performance is particularly strong in serving students with special needs and from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, ranking among the top 10 elementary schools in Massachusetts for these subgroups. Additionally, the school benefits from a relatively low student-to-teacher ratio and higher per-student spending compared to the state average, which may contribute to its outstanding academic results.

When compared to nearby schools, Wm L Foster Elementary stands out as a shining example of educational excellence. The other Hingham district schools also demonstrate strong academic performance, suggesting the district as a whole provides a high-quality education. In contrast, schools in the neighboring Weymouth and Quincy districts tend to have lower proficiency rates and rankings, highlighting the disparities in educational outcomes between the Hingham area and the surrounding communities.

402

Students ?

12.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,755

Per pupil spending ?

Free/discounted lunch ?

55 Downer Avenue
Hingham, MA 02043-2523

(781) 741-1520

District: Hingham

Students who attend Wm L Foster Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Hingham Middle School
High:	Hingham High

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.1%

Two or more races:

6.7%

Hispanic:

4.0%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare Wm L Foster Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 91st percentile in 2015 → 96th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (77% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 4% of Massachusetts elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Near the bottom of Hingham's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school77%

District avg73%

Massachusetts avg41%

34^th of 906

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Top 4%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From top 9% (2015) to top 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Elementary Schools in the Hingham

13^th of 348Hingham 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
2025	94.0	34 of 906	96.2%	★★★★★
2024	93.1	40 of 916	95.6%	★★★★★
2023	92.7	50 of 928	94.6%	★★★★★
2022	93.1	39 of 932	95.8%	★★★★★
2021	93.7	32 of 936	96.6%	★★★★★
2019	95.2	10 of 942	98.9%	★★★★★
2018	93.9	12 of 934	98.7%	★★★★★
2017	92.0	30 of 938	96.8%	★★★★★
2016	85.4	108 of 932	88.4%	★★★★☆
2015	86.7	79 of 914	91.4%	★★★★★
2014	84.8	98 of 926	89.4%	★★★★☆
2013	84.5	112 of 928	87.9%	★★★★☆
2012	82.7	139 of 930	85.1%	★★★★☆
2011	76.7	223 of 924	75.9%	★★★★☆
2010	79.0	188 of 920	79.6%	★★★★☆
2009	80.3	163 of 909	82.1%	★★★★☆
2008	81.1	153 of 908	83.1%	★★★★☆
2007	86.3	88 of 911	90.3%	★★★★★
2006	89.1	58 of 911	93.6%	★★★★★
2005	81.6	150 of 887	83.1%	★★★★☆
2004	72.8	256 of 882	71.0%	★★★★☆
2003	71.4	272 of 884	69.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	91.2	27 of 672	96.0%	★★★★★
2021	87.8	45 of 632	92.9%	★★★★★
2019	91.2	24 of 665	96.4%	★★★★★
2018	85.9	53 of 656	91.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	91.1	51 of 869	94.1%	★★★★★
2024	88.3	71 of 886	92.0%	★★★★★
2023	90.0	59 of 887	93.3%	★★★★★
2022	87.7	96 of 901	89.3%	★★★★☆
2021	90.8	52 of 898	94.2%	★★★★★
2019	92.1	25 of 902	97.2%	★★★★★
2018	92.0	22 of 893	97.5%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2018	98.4	3 of 685	99.6%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	94.6	15 of 884	98.3%	★★★★★
2024	94.6	21 of 891	97.6%	★★★★★
2023	91.9	46 of 896	94.9%	★★★★★
2022	94.8	17 of 908	98.1%	★★★★★
2021	93.9	17 of 904	98.1%	★★★★★
2019	94.9	10 of 907	98.9%	★★★★★
2018	92.9	15 of 898	98.3%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	98.9	4 of 717	99.4%	★★★★★
2024	99.6	2 of 731	99.7%	★★★★★
2023	97.6	8 of 703	98.9%	★★★★★
2022	82.8	92 of 905	89.8%	★★★★☆
2021	78.6	130 of 894	85.5%	★★★★☆
2019	81.6	91 of 896	89.8%	★★★★☆
2018	85.5	69 of 886	92.2%	★★★★★

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	93.4	32 of 925	96.5%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	90.4	37 of 737	95.0%	★★★★★
2024	86.4	65 of 753	91.4%	★★★★★
2023	87.3	61 of 762	92.0%	★★★★★
2022	88.6	43 of 764	94.4%	★★★★★
2021	90.1	31 of 765	95.9%	★★★★★
2019	92.8	19 of 780	97.6%	★★★★★
2018	90.5	23 of 772	97.0%	★★★★★

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2018)100th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)99th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)98th percentile~ school

Tested In Person (2021)97th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)96th percentile~ school

White (2025)95th percentile~ school

Female (2025)94th percentile~ school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?

Science88%+47 vs state

Mathematics75%+34 vs state

English Language Arts74%+32 vs state

★

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Schools Near Wm L Foster Elementary

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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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts (2025)						MCAS Next Generation Mathematics (2025)						MCAS Next Generation Science (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 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 All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Science 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science All Grades	Total
Wm L Foster Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	55 Downer Avenue	Hingham	02043	Plymouth County	Hingham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 741-1520	402	32	12.4		346 (86.1%)	6 (1.5%)	16 (4.0%)	6 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	27 (6.7%)	94	34^th of 906 public elementary schools	96.2%		93.1	40^th of 916 public elementary schools	95.6%	6	66.0	73.9	79.2			73.9	63.5	73.9	83.1			74.7	88.3	88.3	$21,755
East Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2 Collins Street	Hingham	02043	Plymouth County	Hingham	No	No	No	No	(781) 741-1570	502	41	12.3		469 (93.4%)	4 (0.8%)	9 (1.8%)	11 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	94.1	33^rd of 906 public elementary schools	96.4%		92.7	41^st of 916 public elementary schools	95.5%	8	76.0	70.2	90.0			78.7	74.4	61.2	82.4			72.8	88.6	88.6	$21,468
Wessagusset	Public	K-5	75 Pilgrim Road	North Weymouth	02191	Norfolk County	Weymouth	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 335-2210	329	26	12.8		223 (67.8%)	28 (8.5%)	25 (7.6%)	30 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (7.0%)	52.9	426^th of 906 public elementary schools	53.0%		62.1	347^th of 916 public elementary schools	62.1%	79	54.3	35.0	29.0			41.7	50.8	38.3	47.4			45.5	47.4	47.4	$17,907
Lawrence W Pingree	Public	K-5	1250 Commercial Street	Weymouth	02189	Norfolk County	Weymouth	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 337-2974	266	20	13.4		190 (71.4%)	10 (3.8%)	36 (13.5%)	15 (5.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.3%)	65.9	322^nd of 906 public elementary schools	64.5%		63.2	336^th of 916 public elementary schools	63.3%	14	47.2	39.5	56.3			48.0	50.0	41.9	60.4			51.2	60.4	60.4	$18,924
Plymouth River	Public	K-5	200 High Street	Hingham	02043	Plymouth County	Hingham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 741-1530	352	32	11.1		306 (86.9%)	12 (3.4%)	19 (5.4%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.1%)	96.7	5^th of 906 public elementary schools	99.4%		96.5	9^th of 916 public elementary schools	99.0%	4	81.0	79.3	80.3			80.2	74.1	84.5	79.7			79.4	84.6	84.6	$21,933
Atherton Hough	Public	K-5	1084 Sea Street	Quincy	02169	Norfolk County	Quincy	No	No	No	No	(617) 984-8797	256	24	10.4		166 (64.8%)	19 (7.4%)	21 (8.2%)	27 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	22 (8.6%)	24.7	681^st of 906 public elementary schools	24.8%		21	731^st of 916 public elementary schools	20.2%	50	23.5	21.6	28.3			24.4	41.2	25.5	23.9			29.0	32.6	32.6	$23,396
Academy Avenue	Public	K-5	94 Academy Avenue	Weymouth	02189	Norfolk County	Weymouth	No	No	No	No	(781) 335-4717	357	24	15.1		228 (63.9%)	36 (10.1%)	58 (16.2%)	13 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	21 (5.9%)	63.8	334^th of 906 public elementary schools	63.1%		68.1	299^th of 916 public elementary schools	67.4%	35	44.8	51.0	61.5			52.9	32.8	56.9	50.0			46.2	52.4	52.4	$17,568
Snug Harbor Community School	Public	PK, KG-5	333 Palmer Street	Quincy	02169	Norfolk County	Quincy	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 984-8763	380	30	12.8		104 (27.4%)	58 (15.3%)	67 (17.6%)	113 (29.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (9.7%)	21.1	722^nd of 906 public elementary schools	20.3%		14.9	805^th of 916 public elementary schools	12.1%	83	10.9	31.1	21.9			21.3	13.0	35.6	23.4			23.9	31.3	31.3	$23,193
South Elementary	Public	K-5	831 Main Street	Hingham	02043	Plymouth County	Hingham	No	No	No	No	(781) 741-1540	496	34	14.4		446 (89.9%)	7 (1.4%)	6 (1.2%)	29 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	90.9	59^th of 906 public elementary schools	93.5%		94.9	20^th of 916 public elementary schools	97.8%	39	66.3	73.7	76.2			71.8	57.3	70.1	81.0			68.9	85.7	85.7	$20,440
Lillian M Jacobs	Public	PK, KG-7	18 Harborview Rd	Hull	02045	Plymouth County	Hull	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 925-4400	434	48	8.9		382 (88.0%)	11 (2.5%)	20 (4.6%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.9%)	73.4	241^st of 906 public elementary schools	73.4%		69.6	282^nd of 916 public elementary schools	69.2%	41	69.1	55.3	51.0	50.0	46.3	54.6	50.0	57.9	46.9	44.7	33.3	45.9	71.4	71.4	$29,750

Frequently Asked Questions about Wm L Foster Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Wm L Foster Elementary?

Students at Wm L Foster Elementary are 86% White, 7% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic, 1% African American, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Wm L Foster Elementary attend?

Students who attend Wm L Foster Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hingham Middle School
High : Hingham High

What district is Wm L Foster Elementary in?

Hingham

How many students attend Wm L Foster Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 402 students attended Wm L Foster Elementary.

Is Wm L Foster Elementary a good school?

Yes! Wm L Foster Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 34^th of 906 Massachusetts elementary schools.

Rate Wm L Foster Elementary!

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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.