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James B Congdon

Q: Is James B Congdon a good school?

James B Congdon ranks 486 th of 906 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

486^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 906 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

James B Congdon is an elementary school located in New Bedford, MA, serving 301 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the New Bedford school district, which is ranked 319 out of 348 districts in Massachusetts and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While James B Congdon has consistently ranked in the middle to lower range of Massachusetts elementary schools, the school's performance varies across different subject areas and student subgroups. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates in MCAS Next Generation assessments were higher than the New Bedford district average but lower than the state average in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. Compared to nearby schools in the same district, such as John Avery Parker, Alfred J Gomes, and Irwin M. Jacobs Elementary School, James B Congdon generally outperformed them in academic proficiency. However, when compared to schools in the neighboring Dartmouth district, such as James M. Quinn School and Joseph Demello, James B Congdon's academic performance was significantly lower across all subject areas.

One of the school's strengths lies in the performance of its Hispanic and English Language Learner students, who ranked in the top 4 and top 34 schools in Massachusetts, respectively, in recent years. Additionally, the school's Special Education and Low Socioeconomic Status students also performed relatively well, ranking in the top 4 and top 105 schools in the state, respectively. The higher per-student spending and lower student-teacher ratio at James B Congdon suggest that the school is allocating more resources towards supporting its students, which may contribute to the relatively stronger performance of certain subgroups. To improve the overall academic performance of the school, the district may need to closely examine the instructional practices, curriculum, and support systems in place for all students, particularly those who are not performing as well as their peers in the state.

299

Students ?

10.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,328

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

50 Hemlock Street
New Bedford, MA 02740-3120

(508) 997-4511

District: New Bedford

Students who attend James B Congdon usually attend:

Middle:	Roosevelt Middle School
High:	New Bedford High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

38.5%

White:

34.1%

African American:

20.4%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare James B Congdon to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 27th percentile in 2015 → 46th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 19 percentile points since 2015

✓Among the top-ranked schools in New Bedford

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg20%

Massachusetts avg41%

486^th of 906

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▲ up 20 pts since 2015

From bottom 27% (2015) to bottom 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 18Elementary Schools in the New Bedford

319^th of 348New Bedford 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	46.7	486 of 906	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.2	550 of 916	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.2	605 of 928	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.0	479 of 932	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.7	405 of 936	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	92.0	35 of 942	96.3%	★★★★★
2018	78.6	185 of 934	80.2%	★★★★☆
2017	57.4	406 of 938	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	15.3	829 of 932	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	32.6	670 of 914	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	29.3	704 of 926	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	39.0	622 of 928	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	19.3	760 of 930	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	33.1	665 of 924	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	31.4	682 of 920	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	28.4	706 of 909	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	15.3	794 of 908	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	29.7	702 of 911	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	20.7	759 of 911	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	23.6	703 of 887	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	19.2	726 of 882	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	11.0	787 of 884	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2018	82.6	67 of 656	89.8%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2024	70.2	34 of 282	87.9%	★★★★☆
2023	40.4	145 of 264	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.4	71 of 267	73.4%	★★★★☆
2021	82.0	13 of 240	94.6%	★★★★★
2019	99.9	2 of 258	99.2%	★★★★★
2018	99.3	1 of 244	99.6%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	37.6	547 of 869	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.8	571 of 886	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.7	603 of 887	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.2	512 of 901	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.4	411 of 898	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	86.7	84 of 902	90.7%	★★★★★
2018	82.7	113 of 893	87.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	76.5	51 of 458	88.9%	★★★★☆
2024	58.9	123 of 446	72.4%	★★★★☆
2023	69.0	83 of 420	80.2%	★★★★☆
2022	73.2	61 of 401	84.8%	★★★★☆
2021	88.0	21 of 379	94.5%	★★★★★
2019	99.6	1 of 398	99.7%	★★★★★
2018	97.2	6 of 379	98.4%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	74.5	105 of 736	85.7%	★★★★☆
2024	69.0	158 of 760	79.2%	★★★★☆
2023	64.0	202 of 757	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	78.7	94 of 772	87.8%	★★★★☆
2021	86.9	31 of 705	95.6%	★★★★★
2019	99.5	1 of 700	99.9%	★★★★★
2018	93.2	12 of 685	98.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	53.5	401 of 884	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.1	486 of 891	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.4	542 of 896	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.7	407 of 908	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.8	367 of 904	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	94.5	12 of 907	98.7%	★★★★★
2018	68.7	274 of 898	69.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2024	63.1	198 of 731	72.9%	★★★★☆
2023	62.3	206 of 703	70.7%	★★★★☆
2022	74.6	158 of 905	82.5%	★★★★☆
2021	80.4	110 of 894	87.7%	★★★★☆
2019	99.4	1 of 896	99.9%	★★★★★
2018	93.2	14 of 886	98.4%	★★★★★

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	58.3	411 of 925	55.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	47.6	394 of 737	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.9	444 of 753	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.4	601 of 762	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	51.6	391 of 764	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.3	394 of 765	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	89.5	31 of 780	96.0%	★★★★★
2018	77.1	137 of 772	82.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Disabled (2018)90th percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2025)89th percentile+43 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)88th percentile+48 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)86th percentile+39 vs school

Special Education (2024)73rd percentile+33 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)56th percentile~ school

Male (2025)55th percentile+8 vs school

White (2025)47th percentile~ school

Female (2025)37th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics49%+8 vs state

Science40%~ state avg

English Language Arts32%-9 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Horrible school. Understaffed and principal is never present. Teachers don’t pay attn to the students when need help they tend to ignore the kids that need extra help. Staff does not follow through. Horrible !! Close Quote

Schools Near James B Congdon

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 All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Science 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science All Grades	Total
James B Congdon	Public	K-5	50 Hemlock Street	New Bedford	02740	Bristol County	New Bedford	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 997-4511	299	28	10.6		102 (34.1%)	61 (20.4%)	115 (38.5%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.0%)	46.7	486^th of 906 public elementary schools	46.4%		41.2	550^th of 916 public elementary schools	40.0%	64	24.3	38.1	31.0	32.4	29.7	60.3	47.6	48.6	40.5	40.5	$22,328
John B Devalles	Public	K-5	120 Katherine Street	New Bedford	02744	Bristol County	New Bedford	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 997-4511	292	26	11.2		69 (23.6%)	51 (17.5%)	153 (52.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.5%)	10.2	848^th of 906 public elementary schools	6.4%		6	900^th of 916 public elementary schools	1.7%	52	20.9	5.4	17.0	15.0	27.9	2.7	6.3	12.5	16.7	16.7	$22,959
Alfred J Gomes	Public	PK, KG-5	286 S Second Street	New Bedford	02740	Bristol County	New Bedford	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 997-4511	623	58	10.7		64 (10.3%)	94 (15.1%)	445 (71.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.0%)	12.3	821^st of 906 public elementary schools	9.4%		10.3	857^th of 916 public elementary schools	6.4%	36	12.5	25.0	13.2	16.5	6.8	26.3	17.6	16.5	19.8	19.8	$23,370
Betsey B Winslow	Public	K-5	561 Allen Street	New Bedford	02740	Bristol County	New Bedford	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 997-4511	227	18	12.9		131 (57.7%)	25 (11.0%)	45 (19.8%)	4 (1.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (8.8%)	21	724^th of 906 public elementary schools	20.1%		24.5	696^th of 916 public elementary schools	24.0%	28	26.2	20.5	36.7	27.0	23.8	7.7	23.3	18.0	36.7	36.7	$21,164
Ellen R Hathaway	Public	K-5	256 Court Street	New Bedford	02740	Bristol County	New Bedford	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 997-4511	201	21	9.5		63 (31.3%)	39 (19.4%)	89 (44.3%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.5%)	15.7	782^nd of 906 public elementary schools	13.7%		21.8	720^th of 916 public elementary schools	21.4%	62	34.2	13.8	22.2	24.5	15.8	13.8	7.4	12.8	29.6	29.6	$23,836
Sgt Wm H Carney Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	247 Elm Street	New Bedford	02740	Bristol County	New Bedford	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 997-4511	618	50	12.3		175 (28.3%)	125 (20.2%)	255 (41.3%)	8 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (8.7%)	11.4	834^th of 906 public elementary schools	7.9%		8.6	873^rd of 916 public elementary schools	4.7%	39	22.8	27.0	8.1	20.3	17.7	17.6	4.8	14.3	9.7	9.7	$23,258
Irwin M. Jacobs Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	47 Emery Street	New Bedford	02744	Bristol County	New Bedford	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 997-4511	388	34	11.5		94 (24.2%)	36 (9.3%)	235 (60.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.2%)	6.3	881^st of 906 public elementary schools	2.8%		7.4	883^rd of 916 public elementary schools	3.6%	2	16.1	6.7	11.5	11.3	14.6	6.7	6.7	9.1	10.0	10.0	$23,607
Joseph Demello	Public	K-5	654 Dartmouth Street	South Dartmouth	02748	Bristol County	Dartmouth	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 996-6750	392	27	14.7		315 (80.4%)	9 (2.3%)	35 (8.9%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.9%)	74	238^th of 906 public elementary schools	73.7%		70.3	276^th of 916 public elementary schools	69.9%	38	52.9	48.4	52.1	51.2	67.1	64.1	43.7	58.1	64.3	64.3	$19,041
Thomas R Rodman	Public	K-5	497 Mill Street	New Bedford	02740	Bristol County	New Bedford	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 997-4511	200	18	11.0		82 (41.0%)	25 (12.5%)	82 (41.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.5%)	12	827^th of 906 public elementary schools	8.7%		21.5	721^st of 916 public elementary schools	21.3%	106	12.1	16.7	35.7	20.6	9.1	2.9	10.7	7.3	21.4	21.4	$23,040
James M. Quinn School	Public	K-5	529 Hawthorn Street	Dartmouth	02747	Bristol County	Dartmouth	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 997-3178	703	56	12.5		578 (82.2%)	8 (1.1%)	55 (7.8%)	16 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (6.5%)	61.7	352^nd of 906 public elementary schools	61.1%		65.1	318^th of 916 public elementary schools	65.3%	34	47.6	50.0	42.9	46.6	50.8	59.1	40.0	49.3	50.4	50.4	$16,312

Frequently Asked Questions about James B Congdon

What district is James B Congdon in?

New Bedford

What schools do graduates of James B Congdon attend?

Students who attend James B Congdon usually go on to attend:

Middle : Roosevelt Middle School
High : New Bedford High

How many students attend James B Congdon?

In the 2024-25 school year, 299 students attended James B Congdon.

Is James B Congdon a good school?

James B Congdon ranks 486^th of 906 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of James B Congdon?

Students at James B Congdon are 38% Hispanic, 34% White, 20% African American, 6% Two or more races.

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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.