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South Elementary

Q: Is South Elementary a good school?

South Elementary ranks 470 th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

470^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 899 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 48% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

South Elementary is a K–5 elementary school at 178 Bourne Rd in Plymouth, MA, serving 614 students — the largest elementary enrollment in Plymouth Public Schools — and it currently ranks 470th of 899 Massachusetts schools (48th percentile, 2 stars), essentially matching its district's standing.

The headline story here is a three-year decline, not long-standing weakness. South climbed to the 66th percentile in 2022–23, then gave back 18 percentile points over three straight years, landing back in the same band it occupied a decade ago. Math is where the slide is concentrated: proficiency fell from 53.00 in 2022–23 to 35.76, moving from 12.4 points above the state to 5.4 points below. English language arts dropped more gently and still beats the state average, and science sits at about state level. There is also a striking grade-level split: South's 3rd graders are among the best in Plymouth (10.4 points above the state in math), while its 4th and 5th graders are at or near the bottom of the district, with 4th-grade math the lowest of the seven Plymouth elementaries — 14.3 points below the state.

Compared with nearby schools, Manomet Elementary (77th percentile), West Elementary, and Nathaniel Morton Elementary all post higher proficiency, while Indian Brook trails slightly. Against out-of-district neighbors, South still outpaces Carver Elementary School, Bourne Intermediate School, and Wareham Elementary School. Notably, South's low-income students are its strongest subgroup (79th percentile, 4 stars), and its per-pupil spending of $17,265 is the lowest among its Plymouth peers, even as class sizes have shrunk. A 17-point gap has also opened between female and male students, driven by a sharp three-year drop for boys.

614

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,422

Per pupil spending ?

26%

Free/discounted lunch ?

178 Bourne Rd
Plymouth, MA 02360

(508) 830-4390

District: Plymouth

Students who attend South Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Plymouth South Middle
High:	Plymouth South High

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.6%

Hispanic:

7.3%

Two or more races:

4.1%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare South Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 45th percentile in 2016 → 48th in 2026

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Plymouth's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg40%

Massachusetts avg41%

470^th of 899

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Bottom 48%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Plymouth

182^nd of 351Plymouth 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	47.6	470 of 899	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.2	395 of 906	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.7	371 of 916	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.8	314 of 928	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.4	439 of 932	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.8	403 of 936	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.7	634 of 942	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.3	623 of 934	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	48.1	514 of 938	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	50.1	510 of 932	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	32.6	669 of 914	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	49.7	525 of 926	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	54.4	478 of 928	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	55.5	466 of 930	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	56.6	443 of 924	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	51.1	512 of 920	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	63.2	362 of 909	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	71.8	266 of 908	70.7%	★★★★☆
2007	65.8	328 of 911	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	60.7	374 of 911	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	75.1	240 of 887	72.9%	★★★★☆
2004	67.4	315 of 882	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2003	67.3	322 of 884	63.6%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	47.2	309 of 672	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.1	315 of 632	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.5	399 of 665	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.3	319 of 656	51.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	56.0	382 of 869	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.5	339 of 869	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.2	408 of 886	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.5	341 of 887	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.9	395 of 901	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.3	416 of 898	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.2	572 of 902	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.5	588 of 893	34.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	68.3	157 of 742	78.8%	★★★★☆
2025	54.5	291 of 736	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	84.6	48 of 760	93.7%	★★★★★
2023	87.8	44 of 757	94.2%	★★★★★
2022	63.9	216 of 772	72.0%	★★★★☆
2021	80.5	60 of 705	91.5%	★★★★★
2019	44.9	395 of 700	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.2	453 of 685	33.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	39.0	538 of 879	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.5	434 of 884	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.3	320 of 891	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.0	296 of 896	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.0	447 of 908	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.4	353 of 904	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.6	638 of 907	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.3	588 of 898	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	15.4	24 of 31	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	41.9	380 of 709	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.0	388 of 717	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	61.4	211 of 731	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	48.0	322 of 703	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.6	396 of 905	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.9	368 of 894	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.5	706 of 896	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.5	706 of 886	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	60.2	384 of 925	58.5%	★★★☆☆

Tested Remotely

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	54.6	152 of 399	61.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	33.0	531 of 734	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	40.9	459 of 737	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.3	413 of 753	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.5	358 of 762	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.5	470 of 764	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.2	417 of 765	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.0	655 of 780	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.1	634 of 772	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)79th percentile+31 vs school

Tested Remotely (2021)62nd percentile+5 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)58th percentile~ school

Female (2026)56th percentile+8 vs school

Disabled (2022)54th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)46th percentile~ school

Male (2026)39th percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)28th percentile-20 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)23rd percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts43%+3 vs state

Science41%~ state avg

Mathematics36%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Elementary

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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)		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 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
South Elementary	Public	K-5	178 Bourne Rd	Plymouth	02360	Plymouth County	Plymouth	No	No	No	No	(508) 830-4390	614	51	12.1	26.0%	532 (86.6%)	7 (1.1%)	45 (7.3%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.1%)	47.6	470^th of 899 public elementary schools	47.7%		56.2	395^th of 906 public elementary schools	56.4%	75	55.7	38.8	37.0	43.4	52.6	28.9	27.5	35.8	40.7	40.7	$20,422
Indian Brook	Public	K-5	1181 State Rd	Plymouth	02360	Plymouth County	Plymouth	No	No	No	No	(508) 830-4370	520	44	11.9	27.0%	459 (88.3%)	3 (0.6%)	37 (7.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (3.7%)	45.5	487^th of 899 public elementary schools	45.8%		54.2	413^th of 906 public elementary schools	54.4%	74	43.9	41.0	39.3	41.4	33.7	42.3	36.0	37.2	36.4	36.4	$20,811
Bournedale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	41 Ernest Valerie Road	Bourne	02532	Barnstable County	Bourne	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 759-7437	425	33	12.8	20.5%	334 (78.6%)	14 (3.3%)	36 (8.5%)	10 (2.4%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (6.1%)								(n/a)											$23,076
Manomet Elementary	Public	K-5	70 Manomet Point Rd	Plymouth	02360	Plymouth County	Plymouth	No	No	No	No	(508) 830-4380	263	21	12.5	37.5%	223 (84.8%)	5 (1.9%)	14 (5.3%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.8%)	77	204^th of 899 public elementary schools	77.3%		82	158^th of 906 public elementary schools	82.6%	46	58.5	62.9	51.4	57.5	48.8	62.9	51.4	54.0	62.2	62.2	$20,858
Bourne Intermediate School	Public	3-5	70 Trowbridge Road	Bourne	02532	Barnstable County	Bourne	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 759-0680	359	35	10.2		282 (78.6%)	5 (1.4%)	25 (7.0%)	7 (1.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	38 (10.6%)	24.4	684^th of 899 public elementary schools	23.9%		30.4	633^rd of 906 public elementary schools	30.1%	51	38.3	24.8	24.3	29.3	22.5	33.1	17.1	24.4	27.9	27.9	$24,663
Federal Furnace School	Public	K-5	860 Federal Furnace Road	Plymouth	02360	Plymouth County	Plymouth	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 830-4360	359	36	10.0	37.6%	284 (79.1%)	16 (4.5%)	31 (8.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (7.2%)	60.6	350^th of 899 public elementary schools	61.1%		54.9	408^th of 906 public elementary schools	55.0%	58	47.5	42.9	43.3	44.6	39.3	51.6	41.7	44.3	63.3	63.3	$22,417
Wareham Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	63 Minot Avenue	Wareham	02571	Plymouth County	Wareham	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 291-3530	912	72	12.7	100.0%	678 (74.3%)	49 (5.4%)	81 (8.9%)	4 (0.4%)	9 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	90 (9.9%)	30.9	619^th of 899 public elementary schools	31.1%		32.9	612^th of 906 public elementary schools	32.5%	7	34.7	24.8		29.8	36.9	32.9		34.9			$00
Nathaniel Morton Elementary	Public	K-5	6 Lincoln Street	Plymouth	02360	Plymouth County	Plymouth	No	No	No	No	(508) 830-4320	511	41	12.3	27.7%	402 (78.7%)	10 (2.0%)	60 (11.7%)	8 (1.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.7%)	63.3	327^th of 899 public elementary schools	63.6%		68.4	298^th of 906 public elementary schools	67.1%	29	55.4	45.1	56.3	52.1	38.0	41.0	52.5	44.0	50.0	50.0	$21,065
Cold Spring	Public	K-5	25 Alden Street	Plymouth	02360	Plymouth County	Plymouth	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 830-4335	214	22	9.7	46.3%	139 (65.0%)	12 (5.6%)	52 (24.3%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.7%)	52.7	423^rd of 899 public elementary schools	52.9%		52.1	434^th of 906 public elementary schools	52.1%	11	62.1	59.3	29.7	48.4	55.2	40.7	24.3	38.7	38.9	38.9	$22,315
Carver Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	85 Main Street	Carver	02330	Plymouth County	Carver	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 866-6220	788	56	14.0	25.5%	691 (87.7%)	15 (1.9%)	41 (5.2%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (4.6%)	41.2	525^th of 899 public elementary schools	41.6%		41.9	531^st of 906 public elementary schools	41.4%	6	32.8	33.8	29.2	32.2	31.2	49.7	41.7	41.3	38.5	38.5	$18,422

Frequently Asked Questions about South Elementary

What district is South Elementary in?

Plymouth

How many students attend South Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 614 students attended South Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of South Elementary?

Students at South Elementary are 87% White, 7% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of South Elementary attend?

Students who attend South Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Plymouth South Middle
High : Plymouth South High

Is South Elementary a good school?

South Elementary ranks 470^th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate South Elementary!

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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.