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Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Swift River

Q: Is Swift River a good school?

Swift River ranks 631 st of 906 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

631^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 906 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Swift River is an elementary school located in New Salem, MA, serving 137 students in grades PK-6. The school is part of the New Salem-Wendell district, which is ranked 285 out of 348 districts in Massachusetts and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Swift River's academic performance, as measured by MCAS proficiency rates, is consistently below the state averages, particularly in English Language Arts and Mathematics. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's ELA proficiency rate for all grades is 28.95% compared to the state average of 41.53%, and its Math proficiency rate is 25.97% compared to 40.74% statewide. However, the school performs better in Science, with a 52.63% proficiency rate in 2024-2025 compared to the state's 41.51%. The school's special education students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds perform relatively better than their peers statewide.

Compared to nearby schools, Swift River's performance lags behind higher-performing schools like Gill Elementary, Petersham Center, and Shutesbury Elementary, despite having higher per-student spending. This suggests that factors beyond just funding may be contributing to the school's below-average performance, though its ability to support its special education and low-income students indicates that it may have effective strategies in place.

134

Students ?

9.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,551

Per pupil spending ?

51.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

201 Wendell Rd
New Salem, MA 01355

(978) 544-6926

District: New Salem-Wendell

Students who attend Swift River usually attend:

High:

Ralph C Mahar Regional

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.6%

Two or more races:

7.5%

Hispanic:

4.5%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare Swift River to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 85th percentile in 2015 → 30th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Massachusetts average (30% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 55 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school30%

District avg30%

Massachusetts avg41%

631^st of 906

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 55 pts since 2015

From top 15% (2015) to bottom 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

285^th of 348New Salem-Wendell 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	30.5	631 of 906	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.5	607 of 916	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.0	620 of 928	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.8	595 of 932	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.4	459 of 936	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.5	433 of 942	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.0	591 of 934	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	29.9	698 of 938	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	62.7	356 of 932	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	81.8	136 of 914	85.1%	★★★★☆
2014	62.7	372 of 926	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	59.5	415 of 928	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	59.0	427 of 930	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	58.2	423 of 924	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	67.4	318 of 920	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	70.4	277 of 909	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	52.7	472 of 908	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	70.7	273 of 911	70.0%	★★★★☆
2006	62.6	353 of 911	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	45.9	508 of 887	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2004	55.9	429 of 882	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2003	37.8	604 of 884	31.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	30.0	617 of 869	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.8	715 of 886	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	65.4	308 of 902	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	8.3	852 of 893	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2023	50.1	377 of 757	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	23.5	603 of 700	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2024	48.8	461 of 891	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.8	582 of 896	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.8	592 of 908	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	69.1	273 of 904	69.8%	★★★★☆
2019	64.5	314 of 907	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.2	625 of 898	30.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2023	81.0	75 of 703	89.3%	★★★★☆
2022	32.5	653 of 905	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	55.2	363 of 896	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	26.6	735 of 886	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	53.6	448 of 925	51.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	15.8	667 of 737	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.7	656 of 753	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	671 of 762	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.6	623 of 764	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	43.6	450 of 765	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.8	435 of 780	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.1	559 of 772	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2023)89th percentile+56 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)52nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)50th percentile+17 vs school

Male (2024)48th percentile+15 vs school

Female (2025)29th percentile~ school

White (2025)9th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?

Science53%+11 vs state

English Language Arts29%-13 vs state

Mathematics26%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Swift River

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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 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	Total
Swift River	Public	PK, KG-6	201 Wendell Rd	New Salem	01355	Franklin County	New Salem-Wendell	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 544-6926	134	15	9.1		116 (86.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.5%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (7.5%)	30.5	631^st of 906 public elementary schools	30.4%		33.5	607^th of 916 public elementary schools	33.7%	24	30.0	42.1	26.3	16.7	29.0	20.0	26.3	26.3	31.6	26.0	52.6	52.6	$27,551
Fisher Hill School	Public	PK, KG-6	59 Dexter Street	Orange	01364	Franklin County	Orange	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 544-0018	494	40	12.5		397 (80.4%)	5 (1.0%)	58 (11.7%)	7 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (5.1%)	13.7	801^st of 906 public elementary schools	11.6%		16.3	783^rd of 916 public elementary schools	14.5%	18	22.6	13.0	8.3	16.2	15.5	25.3	14.8	14.1	19.1	18.8	31.0	31.0	$21,808
Shutesbury Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	23 West Pelham Rd	Shutesbury	01072	Franklin County	Shutesbury	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 259-1212	125	18	6.8		105 (84.0%)	1 (0.8%)	13 (10.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.8%)	78.6	195^th of 906 public elementary schools	78.5%		80.9	171^st of 916 public elementary schools	81.3%	24	52.9	63.6	50.0	64.7	57.4	76.5	27.3	68.8	52.9	59.0	75.0	75.0	$26,909
Erving Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	28 Northfield Rd	Erving	01344	Franklin County	Erving	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 423-3326	113	18	6.1		95 (84.1%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (8.8%)	30.3	634^th of 906 public elementary schools	30.0%		33.9	605^th of 916 public elementary schools	34.0%	29	26.7	33.3	23.5	46.7	32.3	33.3	26.7	0.0	33.3	22.6	41.2	41.2	$34,568
Leverett Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	85 Montague Rd	Leverett	01054	Franklin County	Leverett	No	No	No	No	(413) 548-9144	137	16	8.7		115 (83.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.6%)	2 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (10.2%)	75.1	228^th of 906 public elementary schools	74.8%		44.7	523^rd of 916 public elementary schools	42.9%	295	81.0	22.2	72.2	63.2	60.5	66.7	11.1	77.8	63.2	55.3	83.3	83.3	$21,946
Athol Community Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1064 Pleasant Street	Athol	01331	Worcester County	Athol-Royalston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 645-9657	589	42	13.9		447 (75.9%)	15 (2.5%)	90 (15.3%)	11 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.4%)	14.2	795^th of 906 public elementary schools	12.3%		16.2	785^th of 916 public elementary schools	14.3%	10	17.4	20.4			18.8	22.6	24.5			23.5			$19,815
Petersham Center	Public	K-6	31 Spring Street	Petersham	01366	Worcester County	Petersham	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 724-3363	142	13	11.3		123 (86.6%)	3 (2.1%)	11 (7.7%)	1 (0.7%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.1%)	65.7	323^rd of 906 public elementary schools	64.3%		51.2	460^th of 916 public elementary schools	49.8%	137	36.8	42.1	76.2	58.3	54.2	16.7	31.6	66.7	58.3	45.1	76.2	76.2	$19,591
Gill Elementary	Public	K-6	48 Boyle Rd	Gill	01354	Franklin County	Gill-Montague	No	No	No	No	(413) 863-3255	110	10	10.7		89 (80.9%)	2 (1.8%)	7 (6.4%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (9.1%)	64.1	333^rd of 906 public elementary schools	63.2%		63	339^th of 916 public elementary schools	63.0%	6	16.7	65.0	61.5	61.5	50.0	16.7	70.0	61.5	38.5	46.9	69.2	69.2	$25,289
Hillcrest Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-1	30 Griswold Street	Turners Falls	01376	Franklin County	Gill-Montague	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 863-9526	122	14	8.5		86 (70.5%)	7 (5.7%)	19 (15.6%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (6.6%)								(n/a)													$30,214
Pelham Elementary	Public	K-6	45 Amherst Road	Pelham	01002	Hampshire County	Pelham	No	No	No	No	(413) 362-1100	128	12	10.6		81 (63.3%)	7 (5.5%)	17 (13.3%)	5 (3.9%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (10.2%)	67.6	306^th of 906 public elementary schools	66.2%		76.8	228^th of 916 public elementary schools	75.1%	78	50.0	61.9	33.3	50.0	49.3	61.1	50.0	47.1	56.3	53.5	52.9	52.9	$23,039

Frequently Asked Questions about Swift River

What is the racial makeup of Swift River?

Students at Swift River are 87% White, 7% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

What district is Swift River in?

New Salem-Wendell

Is Swift River a good school?

Swift River ranks 631^st of 906 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Swift River attend?

Students who attend Swift River usually go on to attend:

High : Ralph C Mahar Regional

How many students attend Swift River?

In the 2024-25 school year, 134 students attended Swift River.

Rate Swift River!

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MAMassachusetts Elementary School Rankings

MAMassachusetts District Rankings

Schools in New Salem, MA

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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.