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John K Tarbox

Public Grades 1-4

720^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 899 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 20% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

John K Tarbox is an elementary school in Lawrence, MA serving 281 students in grades 1–4, part of the Lawrence district, which ranks 337th of 351 districts statewide. The school's 2025–2026 rank is 720th of 899 (20th percentile, 1 star) — low by statewide standards, but it is the strongest of the nearby Lawrence district elementary schools with test scores. Its all-grade MCAS proficiency was 19.28% in ELA (district: 17.46%; state: 40.03%) and 31.71% in math (district: 17.28%; state: 41.11%). Compare that with Henry K. Oliver Elementary (10.11% ELA, 11.30% math), Francis M Leahy Elementary (10.53%, 6.98%), Gerard A. Guilmette (9.52%, 8.70%), and Arlington Elementary (9.55%, 5.61%) — Tarbox's ELA is roughly double its peers' and its math is often several times higher.

Math is the school's clearest strength. Tarbox is about 14 points above the district in math and only about 9 points below the state, while its ELA sits about 21 points below the state. Third-grade math (35.42%) is the strongest single result and comes within about 7 points of the state average; fourth-grade math (26.47%) lags further behind. ELA is the main challenge, especially in fourth grade, where proficiency was 14.29% against a state figure of 37.43%. Per-student spending was $17,210 (2020–2021), higher than most nearby same-district elementaries, and the student–teacher ratio was 11.4 in 2024–2025 — mid-range locally.

Subgroup results are more encouraging than the overall rank suggests. English Language Learner students ranked in the 92nd percentile with 5 stars in 2025–2026, up from the 59th–69th range in prior years, and low-income students were near the statewide median for that group. Special education is a persistent weakness, ranking in the bottom 10–15% recently. Among nearby options, Community Day Charter Public School ranks higher overall (52nd percentile, 3 stars) with stronger results in all subjects, a lower student–teacher ratio (8.8), and higher spending ($18,892), while Lawrence Family Development Charter School, Donald P Timony Grammar, and Tenney Grammar School post higher ELA but lower math than Tarbox. Note that spending figures are several years old, free/reduced-lunch data and 2025–2026 science results were not available, and some nearby schools serve different grade spans, so comparisons are imperfect.

281

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,914

Per pupil spending ?

94.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

59 Alder Street
Lawrence, MA 01841

(978) 975-5983

District: Lawrence

Students who attend John K Tarbox usually attend:

Middle:	Henry K. Oliver Middle School
High:	Lawrence High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

97.9%

White:

1.8%

Two or more races:

0.4%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare John K Tarbox to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 21st percentile in 2016 → 20th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Massachusetts average (25% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 21 pts below the Massachusetts average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg17%

Massachusetts avg41%

720^th of 899

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 9Elementary Schools in the Lawrence

337^th of 351Lawrence 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	20.6	720 of 899	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.4	769 of 906	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.8	718 of 916	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.2	752 of 928	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	803 of 932	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.6	845 of 936	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.3	796 of 942	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.3	730 of 934	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.5	717 of 938	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	24.6	739 of 932	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	29.3	692 of 914	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	22.8	758 of 926	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	26.9	722 of 928	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	8.0	872 of 930	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	17.6	784 of 924	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	13.1	821 of 920	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	7.8	857 of 909	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	9.5	842 of 908	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	6.7	859 of 911	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	4.2	896 of 911	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	5.2	859 of 887	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	1.8	876 of 882	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	1.8	879 of 884	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	74.8	22 of 291	92.4%	★★★★★
2025	52.3	86 of 281	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.4	115 of 282	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.1	32 of 264	87.9%	★★★★☆
2022	48.1	96 of 267	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	28.8	214 of 240	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.2	127 of 258	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.9	69 of 244	71.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	17.2	747 of 869	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.7	781 of 869	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.4	734 of 886	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.9	727 of 887	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.3	807 of 901	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.4	819 of 898	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.7	802 of 902	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.1	742 of 893	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	54.1	165 of 475	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.8	189 of 458	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.6	117 of 446	73.8%	★★★★☆
2023	57.8	125 of 420	70.2%	★★★★☆
2022	46.2	179 of 401	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.1	211 of 379	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.2	174 of 398	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.5	105 of 379	72.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	46.9	381 of 742	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.9	431 of 736	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.7	398 of 760	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.7	424 of 757	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.9	538 of 772	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.4	546 of 705	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.6	456 of 700	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.8	320 of 685	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	27.8	654 of 879	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.9	678 of 884	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.1	679 of 891	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.5	715 of 896	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.2	742 of 908	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.8	811 of 904	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	736 of 907	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.6	640 of 898	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	18.2	653 of 717	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.3	639 of 731	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.8	667 of 703	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	29.7	679 of 905	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.8	768 of 894	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.1	607 of 896	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.1	453 of 886	48.9%	★★☆☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	12.2	828 of 925	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)92nd percentile+73 vs school

Hispanic (2026)65th percentile+45 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)49th percentile+29 vs school

Male (2026)26th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)14th percentile-6 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)10th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)9th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics32%-9 vs state

English Language Arts19%-21 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, March 9, 2012

I loved this school back in the late 40's and early 50's. It was a fine grammar school with some great classmates. some of those are:
Jimmmy Reitano Ruth Wood John Coppola
Joyce Earnshaw Margie Melo Ronnie Hatem
Joe Comerford Norm Meservey Billy St. Louis
Sandra Woronka Bonny Hajjar Loretta Marshall
Dickey Haddad Julie Calkowski June Dushenau
Joe Maroun Mike Campagna Patricia Waters
Louise Shaheen Jacki Moore Dicky Habbib
Eleanor Yazbek Doug Haddad Dave Rumore
Kay Kulic Joyce Savastano Mary Riordan
Marlene Melvidas Billy Petrow Ralph Forgione
Jackie Quinn Bev NIchol Arthur Soucy
Saul Goldberg John Scannell Francis Soucy
Bruce Trask Robert Trask Frank Pappalardo
Jimmy Chocquette Michael Russo Lois Cameron
Fred Curtis Earl Manning Don Povilitas

Phil Di Calogero
Nickname: Carlo
My E-mail adress is;
[email protected] Close Quote

Schools Near John K Tarbox

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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
John K Tarbox	Public	1-4	59 Alder Street	Lawrence	01841	Essex County	Lawrence	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 975-5983	281	25	11.4	94.6%	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	275 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	20.6	720^th of 899 public elementary schools	19.9%		17.4	769^th of 906 public elementary schools	15.1%	49	22.9	14.3					19.3	35.4	26.5					31.7					$23,914
Arlington Elementary	Public	K-4	150 Arlington Street	Lawrence	01841	Essex County	Lawrence	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 722-8311	558	63	8.9	93.3%	14 (2.5%)	4 (0.7%)	539 (96.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	4.2	895^th of 899 public elementary schools	0.4%		4.3	898^th of 906 public elementary schools	0.9%	3	8.9	10.2					9.6	2.0	9.4					5.6					$24,015
Lawrence Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	301 Haverhill Street	Lawrence	01841	Essex County	Lawrence	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 975-5956	205	17	12.4	86.4%	2 (1.0%)	6 (2.9%)	196 (95.6%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																			$22,554
Henry K. Oliver Elementary	Public	K-4	183 Haverhill Street	Lawrence	01840	Essex County	Lawrence	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 722-8170	469	43	10.9	90.4%	8 (1.7%)	9 (1.9%)	448 (95.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	5.6	880^th of 899 public elementary schools	2.1%		6	882^nd of 906 public elementary schools	2.6%	2	11.0	9.2					10.1	13.3	9.2					11.3					$23,042
Francis M Leahy Elementary	Public	K-4	100 Erving Avenue	Lawrence	01840	Essex County	Lawrence	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 975-5959	525	39	13.4	88.2%	7 (1.3%)	7 (1.3%)	509 (97.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4.6	891^st of 899 public elementary schools	0.9%		3.6	901^st of 906 public elementary schools	0.6%	10	11.2	9.8					10.5	4.5	9.6					7.0					$22,925
Lawrence Family Development Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	34 West Street	Lawrence	01841	Essex County	Lawrence Family Development Charter (District)	Yes	No	No	Yes	(978) 689-9863	899	70	12.8	92.8%	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.6%)	894 (99.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21.9	711^th of 899 public elementary schools	20.9%		15.2	787^th of 906 public elementary schools	13.1%	76	32.0	22.1	29.3	16.2	32.4	31.8	27.2	20.0	16.4	34.2	25.7	14.9	22.7	22.0	29.3	15.2	23.0	28.8	$19,567
Donald P Timony Grammar	Public	K-8	45 Pleasant View Street	Methuen	01844	Essex County	Methuen	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 722-9001	1,172	89	13.1	54.2%	353 (30.1%)	91 (7.8%)	666 (56.8%)	35 (3.0%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	24 (2.0%)	20.3	725^th of 899 public elementary schools	19.4%		15.3	785^th of 906 public elementary schools	13.4%	60	29.2	15.4	27.1	29.6	25.0	38.8	27.7	15.8	18.0	18.6	32.6	16.7	38.8	23.7	24.3	30.6	27.5	20.6	$18,031
Tenney Grammar School	Public	K-8	75 Pleasant Street	Methuen	01844	Essex County	Methuen	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 722-9026	1,246	99	12.5	57.8%	297 (23.8%)	65 (5.2%)	828 (66.5%)	27 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	28 (2.2%)	15.3	783^rd of 899 public elementary schools	12.9%		19.3	749^th of 906 public elementary schools	17.3%	34	28.0	21.5	23.1	21.5	26.9	30.4	25.3	17.5	18.7	11.9	19.5	22.2	24.8	19.3	18.2	23.3	20.9	19.4	$17,722
Rollins Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	451 Howard Street	Lawrence	01841	Essex County	Lawrence	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 722-8190	157	21	7.4	81.3%	3 (1.9%)	1 (0.6%)	152 (96.8%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																			$25,435
Community Day Charter Public School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	73 Prospect Street	Lawrence	01841	Essex County	Community Day Charter Public School (District)	Yes	No	No	Yes	(978) 681-9910	1,200	136	8.8	74.5%	16 (1.3%)	17 (1.4%)	1,148 (95.7%)	4 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.0%)	52.2	430^th of 899 public elementary schools	52.2%		52.6	429^th of 906 public elementary schools	52.6%	1	39.7	31.4	38.4	47.4	43.2	56.1	42.5	41.3	44.6	51.5	51.8	43.2	63.9	49.0	38.4	50.9	44.9	55.6	$20,864

Frequently Asked Questions about John K Tarbox

What schools do graduates of John K Tarbox attend?

Students who attend John K Tarbox usually go on to attend:

Middle : Henry K. Oliver Middle School
High : Lawrence High School

Is John K Tarbox a good school?

John K Tarbox ranks in the bottom 19.9% of Massachusetts elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of John K Tarbox?

Students at John K Tarbox are 98% Hispanic, 2% White.

What district is John K Tarbox in?

Lawrence

How many students attend John K Tarbox?

In the 2024-25 school year, 281 students attended John K Tarbox.

Rate John K Tarbox!

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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.