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Grace Farrar Cole

Public Grades PK, KG-5

82^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 899 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 91% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Grace Farrar Cole is a PK–5 elementary school in Norwell, MA, serving 528 students as part of the Norwell district, which ranks 31st out of 351 Massachusetts districts. The school ranks 82nd out of 899 elementary schools in 2025–2026 — the 91st percentile with 5 stars — continuing a strong run of improvement from 203rd in 2021–2022, and sitting close to its earlier high point of 49th in 2018–2019.

Academically, proficiency is far above state averages. In 2025–2026, science stood at 71.91% — about 31 points above the state and 7.82 points above the district — with ELA at 66.81% and math at 64.58%, roughly 23 to 31 points above Massachusetts in every subject. Science has climbed steadily from 60.47% in 2023–2024, while math has slipped slightly for two years. Grade-level results show unusually strong 4th grade work relative to the district in ELA and math, and softer 5th grade results relative to the district, though still well above state levels. Among nearby schools, only Plymouth River in Hingham clearly outperforms it in all subjects; South Elementary, also in Hingham, is the closest overall peer, with higher math and science but lower ELA. It outperforms Center Elementary in Hanover and far exceeds every listed Weymouth and Rockland school — about 39 points higher in ELA than William Seach.

A standout is special education effectiveness: the school ranked 29th out of roughly 709 schools in both 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, the 96th percentile and top 4% statewide. Male and female results are balanced at a high level. These outcomes come with mid-range resources — $16,215 per student (2020–2021) and a student-teacher ratio of 14.6 — suggesting instruction and leadership matter more than spending here. Note that free/reduced lunch data is unavailable, and some subgroup data is old or sparse, so those comparisons should be treated cautiously.

528

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,165

Per pupil spending ?

4.9%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students in Massachusetts receive free school meals.

99%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2025-26)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

81 High Street
Norwell, MA 02061

(781) 659-8823

District: Norwell

Students who attend Grace Farrar Cole usually attend:

Middle:	Norwell Middle School
High:	Norwell High

Racial breakdown:

White:

87.9%

Two or more races:

6.6%

Asian:

2.7%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare Grace Farrar Cole to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 77th percentile in 2016 → 91st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (67% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of Massachusetts elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school67%

District avg65%

Massachusetts avg41%

82^nd of 899

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Top 9%▲ up 14 pts since 2016

From top 23% (2016) to top 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the Norwell

31^st of 351Norwell 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	89.3	82 of 899	90.9%	★★★★★
2025	88.1	95 of 906	89.5%	★★★★☆
2024	85.0	126 of 916	86.2%	★★★★☆
2023	88.4	93 of 928	90.0%	★★★★★
2022	77.7	203 of 932	78.2%	★★★★☆
2021	84.3	137 of 936	85.4%	★★★★☆
2019	91.0	49 of 942	94.8%	★★★★★
2018	80.9	162 of 934	82.7%	★★★★☆
2017	73.5	237 of 938	74.7%	★★★★☆
2016	76.0	214 of 932	77.0%	★★★★☆
2015	73.4	236 of 914	74.2%	★★★★☆
2014	83.7	117 of 926	87.4%	★★★★☆
2013	86.0	87 of 928	90.6%	★★★★★
2012	89.9	45 of 930	95.2%	★★★★★
2011	83.7	132 of 924	85.7%	★★★★☆
2010	88.2	65 of 920	92.9%	★★★★★
2009	84.9	106 of 909	88.3%	★★★★☆
2008	91.3	34 of 908	96.3%	★★★★★
2007	87.9	63 of 911	93.1%	★★★★★
2006	88.5	68 of 911	92.5%	★★★★★
2005	89.3	51 of 887	94.3%	★★★★★
2004	89.9	47 of 882	94.7%	★★★★★
2003	84.7	114 of 884	87.1%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	45.7	322 of 672	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.7	167 of 632	73.6%	★★★★☆
2019	84.0	62 of 665	90.7%	★★★★★
2018	42.3	342 of 656	47.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	88.1	86 of 869	90.1%	★★★★★
2025	86.0	98 of 869	88.7%	★★★★☆
2024	80.5	164 of 886	81.5%	★★★★☆
2023	86.7	112 of 887	87.4%	★★★★☆
2022	73.0	229 of 901	74.6%	★★★★☆
2021	84.7	130 of 898	85.5%	★★★★☆
2019	89.6	52 of 902	94.2%	★★★★★
2018	78.3	163 of 893	81.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	41.8	461 of 772	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	95.7	7 of 700	99.0%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	86.6	92 of 879	89.5%	★★★★☆
2025	87.2	89 of 884	89.9%	★★★★★
2024	86.4	98 of 891	89.0%	★★★★☆
2023	86.0	105 of 896	88.3%	★★★★☆
2022	78.2	166 of 908	81.7%	★★★★☆
2021	81.4	158 of 904	82.5%	★★★★☆
2019	88.9	57 of 907	93.7%	★★★★★
2018	79.5	164 of 898	81.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	91.3	29 of 709	95.9%	★★★★★
2025	90.5	29 of 717	96.0%	★★★★★
2024	78.7	104 of 731	85.8%	★★★★☆
2023	57.3	239 of 703	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	31.9	656 of 905	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	45.4	472 of 894	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	81.1	93 of 896	89.6%	★★★★☆
2018	49.7	429 of 886	51.6%	★★★☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	83.9	135 of 925	85.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	79.7	115 of 734	84.3%	★★★★☆
2025	80.0	111 of 737	84.9%	★★★★☆
2024	75.0	161 of 753	78.6%	★★★★☆
2023	81.3	112 of 762	85.3%	★★★★☆
2022	60.9	283 of 764	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.6	172 of 765	77.5%	★★★★☆
2019	86.6	55 of 780	92.9%	★★★★★
2018	70.8	207 of 772	73.2%	★★★★☆

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 (2026)96th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)90th percentile~ school

Male (2026)90th percentile~ school

Tested In Person (2021)85th percentile~ school

White (2026)84th percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2022)52nd percentile-26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2022)40th percentile-38 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

Science72%+31 vs state

English Language Arts67%+27 vs state

Mathematics65%+23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Grace Farrar Cole

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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 Vaccination 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)		Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	Directly certified (2024-25)	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 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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Grace Farrar Cole	Public	PK, KG-5	81 High Street	Norwell	02061	Plymouth County	Norwell	No	No	No	No	(781) 659-8823	528	36	14.6	4.9%	464 (87.9%)	5 (0.9%)	9 (1.7%)	14 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.6%)	89.3	82^nd of 899 public elementary schools	90.9%		88.1	95^th of 906 public elementary schools	89.5%	13	69.1	66.3	65.5	66.8	57.4	72.3	62.9	64.6	71.9	71.9	99%	0%	$18,165
South Elementary	Public	K-5	831 Main Street	Hingham	02043	Plymouth County	Hingham	No	No	No	No	(781) 741-1540	496	34	14.4	4.4%	446 (89.9%)	7 (1.4%)	6 (1.2%)	29 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	89.6	77^th of 899 public elementary schools	91.4%		90.9	59^th of 906 public elementary schools	93.5%	18	56.5	68.1	62.5	62.5	67.1	70.3	71.3	69.5	82.5	82.5	100%	0%	$22,396
Cedar Elementary	Public	PK, KG-1	265 Cedar Street	Hanover	02339	Plymouth County	Hanover	No	No	No	No	(781) 878-7228	479	27	17.5	11.3%	420 (87.7%)	9 (1.9%)	19 (4.0%)	11 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.2%)								(n/a)											93%	4%	$16,610
Thomas W. Hamilton Primary School	Public	K-5	400 Union Street	South Weymouth	02190	Norfolk County	Weymouth	No	No	No	No	(781) 335-2122	381	29	13.3	26.0%	241 (63.3%)	14 (3.7%)	48 (12.6%)	47 (12.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.6%)	74.2	230^th of 899 public elementary schools	74.4%		72.1	258^th of 906 public elementary schools	71.5%	28	46.8	54.7	49.3	50.3	59.7	70.3	53.6	61.0	52.2	52.2	99%	1%	$19,066
Ralph Talbot	Public	K-5	277 Ralph Talbot Street	South Weymouth	02190	Norfolk County	Weymouth	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 335-7250	300	23	13.1	33.7%	201 (67.0%)	25 (8.3%)	35 (11.7%)	21 (7.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.7%)	53.2	420^th of 899 public elementary schools	53.3%		62.5	344^th of 906 public elementary schools	62.0%	76	34.0	45.7	42.9	40.7	29.8	63.0	42.9	45.2	45.2	45.2	94%	0%	$18,532
Plymouth River	Public	K-5	200 High Street	Hingham	02043	Plymouth County	Hingham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 741-1530	352	32	11.1	8.0%	306 (86.9%)	12 (3.4%)	19 (5.4%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.1%)	95.3	21^st of 899 public elementary schools	97.7%		96.7	5^th of 906 public elementary schools	99.4%	16	72.6	71.7	88.1	77.1	68.5	78.3	76.3	74.0	86.4	86.4	100%	0%	$24,559
Phelps Elementary School	Public	1-4	1 Lt. Col. Brian Duffy Way	Rockland	02370	Plymouth County	Rockland	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 871-8585	639	47	13.5	49.5%	398 (62.3%)	40 (6.3%)	164 (25.7%)	13 (2.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.4%)	46.1	483^rd of 899 public elementary schools	46.3%		49.8	454^th of 906 public elementary schools	49.9%	29	38.0	39.4		38.7	34.0	48.7		41.5					$21,428
Center Elementary	Public	2-4	65 Silver Street	Hanover	02339	Plymouth County	Hanover	No	No	No	No	(781) 826-2631	582	36	16.2	9.1%	531 (91.2%)	10 (1.7%)	20 (3.4%)	8 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.1%)	78.1	190^th of 899 public elementary schools	78.9%		78.4	197^th of 906 public elementary schools	78.3%	7	54.0	57.9		56.0	57.7	59.9		58.9					$16,534
William Seach	Public	K-5	770 Middle Street	Weymouth	02188	Norfolk County	Weymouth	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 335-7589	372	26	14.5	71.0%	152 (40.9%)	72 (19.4%)	101 (27.2%)	24 (6.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.9%)	28.8	637^th of 899 public elementary schools	29.1%		23.3	694^th of 906 public elementary schools	23.4%	57	31.0	29.2	23.1	27.9	31.0	36.2	28.9	31.9	32.7	32.7	97%	3%	$17,548
R Stewart Esten Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	733 Summer Street	Rockland	02370	Plymouth County	Rockland	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 878-8336	242	21	11.6	41.3%	147 (60.7%)	13 (5.4%)	54 (22.3%)	5 (2.1%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (8.7%)								(n/a)											95%	1%	$23,925

Frequently Asked Questions about Grace Farrar Cole

What schools do graduates of Grace Farrar Cole attend?

Students who attend Grace Farrar Cole usually go on to attend:

Middle : Norwell Middle School
High : Norwell High

What is the racial makeup of Grace Farrar Cole?

Students at Grace Farrar Cole are 88% White, 7% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% Hispanic.

How many students attend Grace Farrar Cole?

In the 2024-25 school year, 528 students attended Grace Farrar Cole.

What district is Grace Farrar Cole in?

Norwell

Is Grace Farrar Cole a good school?

Yes. Grace Farrar Cole ranks in the top 9.1% of Massachusetts elementary schools.

Rate Grace Farrar Cole!

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Latest Massachusetts data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataNewNov 1, 2026

2020–21 through 2023–24 school spending data (updated)NewNov 1, 2026

2023–24 through 2024–25 teacher salary dataNewNov 1, 2026

2020–21 through 2022–23 teacher salary data (updated)NewNov 1, 2026

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.