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Benjamin G Brown

Public Grades K-5

70^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 906 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 92% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Benjamin G Brown is a small, high-performing K-5 school in the Powderhouse Square neighborhood of Somerville, serving just 219 students. It stands out as a consistent academic powerhouse, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for the 2024-2025 school year and ranking in the 92nd percentile statewide. This is a stark contrast to the Somerville district, which ranks in the 36th percentile (2 stars). The school’s proficiency rates are nearly double the district average in every subject: 74.55% in English Language Arts, 64.81% in Math, and 75.68% in Science. This elite performance places it far ahead of other Somerville schools, such as John F Kennedy (ranked 178th) and West Somerville Neighborhood (ranked in the 400s).

Interestingly, Benjamin G Brown achieves these results with a fraction of the per-pupil spending compared to nearby high-performing schools. For example, the Peabody School in Cambridge spends significantly more per student ($33,306 vs. $18,254) but trails Brown in both ELA (57.94%) and Math (54.40%). This highlights the school’s exceptional efficiency. The nearby Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School is a direct competitor, ranking 13th in the state (99th percentile) with slightly higher test scores, offering families two distinct, high-quality public education options in the area.

While the school’s overall scores are excellent, a clear pattern emerges in grade-level data: performance in 5th grade drops noticeably compared to 3rd and 4th grades. In Math, proficiency falls from 72.5% in 3rd grade to 54.05% in 5th grade, and in ELA, it drops from 80.49% to 62.16%. This "5th grade slump" is the school’s most significant academic challenge. On a positive note, the school has a strong historical track record with Special Education students, ranking 8th in the state in the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years, suggesting a past capacity for exceptional inclusive practices that may still be part of the school’s culture.

219

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,433

Per pupil spending ?

23%

Free/discounted lunch ?

201 Willow Avenue
Somerville, MA 02144

(617) 629-5620

District: Somerville

Students who attend Benjamin G Brown usually attend:

High:

Somerville High

Racial breakdown:

White:

63.9%

Two or more races:

14.6%

African American:

7.8%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 96th percentile in 2015 → 92nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (71% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 8% of Massachusetts elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Somerville

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school71%

District avg37%

Massachusetts avg41%

70^th of 906

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Top 8%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From top 4% (2015) to top 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 7Elementary Schools in the Somerville

224^th of 348Somerville 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	90.0	70 of 906	92.3%	★★★★★
2024	86.2	113 of 916	87.7%	★★★★☆
2023	83.8	148 of 928	84.1%	★★★★☆
2022	96.5	8 of 932	99.1%	★★★★★
2021	87.3	116 of 936	87.6%	★★★★☆
2019	95.6	8 of 942	99.2%	★★★★★
2018	94.0	11 of 934	98.8%	★★★★★
2017	94.3	13 of 938	98.6%	★★★★★
2016	89.8	55 of 932	94.1%	★★★★★
2015	90.2	37 of 914	96.0%	★★★★★
2014	76.5	208 of 926	77.5%	★★★★☆
2013	70.5	295 of 928	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	72.8	269 of 930	71.1%	★★★★☆
2011	65.1	351 of 924	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	80.4	167 of 920	81.8%	★★★★☆
2009	80.0	168 of 909	81.5%	★★★★☆
2008	62.5	355 of 908	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	71.2	271 of 911	70.3%	★★★★☆
2006	66.2	307 of 911	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	67.4	314 of 887	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2004	67.8	311 of 882	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2003	75.3	224 of 884	74.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	93.3	31 of 869	96.4%	★★★★★
2024	87.0	92 of 886	89.6%	★★★★☆
2023	86.9	110 of 887	87.6%	★★★★☆
2022	96.5	5 of 901	99.4%	★★★★★
2021	89.6	65 of 898	92.8%	★★★★★
2019	92.7	19 of 902	97.9%	★★★★★
2018	89.2	56 of 893	93.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	77.5	192 of 884	78.3%	★★★★☆
2022	95.3	13 of 908	98.6%	★★★★★
2021	85.8	105 of 904	88.4%	★★★★☆
2019	95.9	6 of 907	99.3%	★★★★★
2018	94.5	8 of 898	99.1%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2019	96.6	8 of 896	99.1%	★★★★★
2018	94.8	8 of 886	99.1%	★★★★★

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	88.7	85 of 925	90.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	84.6	76 of 737	89.7%	★★★★☆
2024	78.5	130 of 753	82.7%	★★★★☆
2023	76.5	148 of 762	80.6%	★★★★☆
2022	97.5	4 of 764	99.5%	★★★★★
2021	79.4	136 of 765	82.2%	★★★★☆
2019	91.3	24 of 780	96.9%	★★★★★
2018	90.6	20 of 772	97.4%	★★★★★

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 (2019)99th percentile~ school

Female (2025)96th percentile+4 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)91st percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)90th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)78th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?

Science76%+34 vs state

English Language Arts75%+33 vs state

Mathematics65%+24 vs state

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Schools Near Benjamin G Brown

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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)			MCAS Next Generation Civics (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 7th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 8th 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 7th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Science 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Civics 8th Grade	Total
Benjamin G Brown	Public	K-5	201 Willow Avenue	Somerville	02144	Middlesex County	Somerville	No	No	No	No	(617) 629-5620	219	15	14.5		140 (63.9%)	17 (7.8%)	14 (6.4%)	14 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	32 (14.6%)	90	70^th of 906 public elementary schools	92.3%		86.2	113^th of 916 public elementary schools	87.7%	43	80.5	81.3	62.2				74.6	72.5	67.7	54.1				64.8	75.7		75.7		$23,433
John F Kennedy	Public	PK, KG-8	5 Cherry Street	Somerville	02144	Middlesex County	Somerville	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 629-5440	439	31	14.3		285 (64.9%)	14 (3.2%)	56 (12.8%)	32 (7.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (11.2%)	80.4	178^th of 906 public elementary schools	80.4%		81.6	162^nd of 916 public elementary schools	82.3%	16	65.1	75.0	51.1	76.1	67.4	78.3	68.8	58.1	63.6	46.8	71.7	67.4	78.3	64.3	48.9	80.0	64.1	82.6	$26,857
Missituk Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	37 Hicks Avenue	Medford	02155	Middlesex County	Medford	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 393-2177	418	41	10.1		236 (56.5%)	38 (9.1%)	75 (17.9%)	32 (7.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (7.7%)	48.9	468^th of 906 public elementary schools	48.3%		48.6	486^th of 916 public elementary schools	46.9%	18	54.0	41.5	38.7				44.9	42.9	39.6	27.9				36.7	44.3		44.3		$22,024
Peabody	Public	PK, KG-5	70 Rindge Avenue	Cambridge	02140	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-6530	314	28	11.2		128 (40.8%)	80 (25.5%)	20 (6.4%)	48 (15.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (11.1%)	77.1	216^th of 906 public elementary schools	76.2%		76.7	229^th of 916 public elementary schools	75.0%	13	63.4	41.5	68.2				57.9	53.7	56.1	53.5				54.4	77.3		77.3		$35,462
West Somerville Neighborhood	Public	PK, KG-8	177 Powderhouse Blvd	Somerville	02144	Middlesex County	Somerville	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 625-6600	397	27	14.4		233 (58.7%)	43 (10.8%)	39 (9.8%)	29 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	49 (12.3%)	47.4	479^th of 906 public elementary schools	47.1%		45.4	515^th of 916 public elementary schools	43.8%	36	48.7	44.1	29.3	48.9	51.3	56.8	46.7	43.2	35.3	29.3	44.4	51.3	56.8	43.8	35.7	53.5	44.7	44.2	$24,791
Arthur D Healey	Public	PK, KG-8	5 Meacham Street	Somerville	02145	Middlesex County	Somerville	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 629-5420	482	41	11.8		136 (28.2%)	70 (14.5%)	233 (48.3%)	16 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (4.8%)	19.9	739^th of 906 public elementary schools	18.4%		27.3	663^rd of 916 public elementary schools	27.6%	76	17.0	24.0	27.8	32.2	51.1	35.4	30.9	20.0	16.3	25.5	17.0	29.8	31.3	23.0	30.8	33.3	32.0	28.6	$27,307
Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	21 Notre Dame Avenue	Cambridge	02142	Middlesex County	Benjamin Banneker Charter Public	Yes	No	No	Yes	(617) 497-7771	352	19	18.5		9 (2.6%)	296 (84.1%)	22 (6.3%)	11 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.7%)	95.7	13^th of 906 public elementary schools	98.6%		96	12^th of 916 public elementary schools	98.7%	1	80.9	71.4	76.0	90.5			79.3	91.5	79.6	76.0	90.5			84.0	68.0		68.0		$21,891
Maria L. Baldwin	Public	PK, KG-5	85 Oxford Street	Cambridge	02138	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-6525	360	33	10.9		207 (57.5%)	33 (9.2%)	27 (7.5%)	37 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (15.6%)	96.6	8^th of 906 public elementary schools	99.1%		96.7	7^th of 916 public elementary schools	99.2%	1	75.9	87.2	78.3				80.3	81.5	87.2	89.1				85.7	73.9		73.9		$35,468
Graham and Parks	Public	PK, KG-5	44 Linnaean Street	Cambridge	02140	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-6577	367	33	11.1		156 (42.5%)	66 (18.0%)	28 (7.6%)	86 (23.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (8.2%)	77.9	206^th of 906 public elementary schools	77.3%		75.9	235^th of 916 public elementary schools	74.3%	29	51.2	53.1	57.9				53.9	63.4	56.3	69.2				62.5	61.5		61.5		$33,764
John J McGlynn Elementary School	Public	K-5	3002 Mystic Valley Pkwy	Medford	02155	Middlesex County	Medford	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 393-2333	505	44	11.3		195 (38.6%)	76 (15.0%)	142 (28.1%)	72 (14.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.4%)	28.8	646^th of 906 public elementary schools	28.7%		25.8	679^th of 916 public elementary schools	25.9%	33	40.0	17.4	32.3				29.2	37.7	14.3	42.9				29.7	27.0		27.0		$20,003

Frequently Asked Questions about Benjamin G Brown

Is Benjamin G Brown a good school?

Yes. Benjamin G Brown ranks in the top 7.7% of Massachusetts elementary schools.

How many students attend Benjamin G Brown?

In the 2024-25 school year, 219 students attended Benjamin G Brown.

What is the racial makeup of Benjamin G Brown?

Students at Benjamin G Brown are 64% White, 15% Two or more races, 8% African American, 6% Asian, 6% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Benjamin G Brown attend?

Students who attend Benjamin G Brown usually go on to attend:

High : Somerville High

What district is Benjamin G Brown in?

Somerville

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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.