Summary
Charlotte M Murkland Elementary is a PK–4 school in Lowell, MA, serving 448 students, and it ranks 648 of 899 Massachusetts schools—28th percentile, 1 star—within a Lowell district that itself ranks 273rd of 351 districts (22nd percentile, 1 star). The school has been stable at the low end for a decade, never exceeding the 35th percentile, and resources are not obviously scarce: $17,380 per student and a 12.4 student-teacher ratio, above its nearby peer average.
Murkland’s standout academic pattern is a sharp math-over-ELA split. In 2025-26, 37.25% of students were proficient in math versus 21.43% in ELA—a 15.8-point gap, triple the district gap. Math ranks fourth of eleven comparison schools and comes within 3.9 points of the state (41.11%). ELA is the clear constraint, trailing the district and hitting its lowest level in four years. By contrast, Charles W Morey, about a mile away, posts 44.38% ELA and 58.39% math (67th percentile, 3 stars) despite nearly identical resources: $17,346 per student and the same 12.4 ratio. Lowell Community Charter Public School, 0.58 miles away, has 41.74% ELA and 37.53% math. Murkland’s third-grade ELA (20.78%) is about 12 points below Pawtucketville Memorial’s (32.93%).
The school’s strongest story is its work with high-need groups. Compared with other Massachusetts schools serving the same populations, Murkland ranks at the 84th percentile for English language learners (4 stars), 86th for homeless students (5 stars), 63rd for low-income students (3 stars), and 59th for special education students (3 stars)—all well above its overall 28th-percentile rank. That pattern has held for three years for English learners and low-income students. Resources alone do not explain outcomes here: Bartlett Community Partnership has the lowest student-teacher ratio (8.8) yet ranks 19th percentile, while Rogers STEM Academy spends the least ($14,642) and ranks 17th. Some data are missing—free/reduced-lunch rates are unavailable—so subgroup figures are directional. Bottom line: Murkland is a stable, low-ranked school lifted by math and by effective work with English learners, homeless students, and low-income students, while ELA remains the main area to watch.
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