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Van Sickle Academy

Q: Is Van Sickle Academy a good school?

Van Sickle Academy ranks in the bottom 20.0% of Massachusetts middle schools.

Q: How many students attend Van Sickle Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 262 students attended Van Sickle Academy.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Van Sickle Academy?

Students at Van Sickle Academy are 78% Hispanic, 9% African American, 8% White, 2% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

Public Grades 6-8

387^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 484 Massachusetts Middle Schools

Better than 20% of Massachusetts middle schools

Summary

Van Sickle Academy is a public middle school in Springfield, MA, serving 252 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Springfield school district, which is ranked 321 out of 348 districts in Massachusetts and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Van Sickle Academy has consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of Massachusetts middle schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger indicating it is performing significantly below the state average.

Van Sickle Academy's academic performance, as measured by MCAS Next Generation assessments, is significantly below the state and district averages across all subject areas and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 24.69% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 41.53% statewide and 22.11% in the Springfield district. In mathematics, the proficiency rate was just 12.55% at Van Sickle, compared to 40.74% statewide and 17.12% in Springfield. The school's performance is particularly low for certain student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 10% of Massachusetts middle schools for English Language Learners and Special Education students.

When comparing Van Sickle Academy to other middle schools in the area, it becomes clear that the school is an outlier in terms of academic performance. For instance, Chestnut Accelerated Middle School (Talented and Gifted), located just 2.2 miles away, has significantly higher proficiency rates in all subject areas and is ranked in the top 40% of Massachusetts middle schools. Despite Van Sickle Academy's relatively low student-teacher ratio and higher-than-average spending per student, the school's persistent low performance suggests the need for a re-evaluation of its instructional practices and support systems to better serve its students.

262

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$30,154

Per pupil spending ?

1170 Carew Street
Springfield, MA 01104

(413) 750-2887

District: Springfield

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

78.2%

African American:

9.2%

White:

8.0%

See top rated Massachusetts middle schools

Compare Van Sickle Academy to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 5th percentile in 2018 → 20th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 15 percentile points since 2018

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Springfield

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Massachusetts average (19% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 28 pts below the Massachusetts average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg19%

Massachusetts avg41%

387^th of 484

Massachusetts public middle schools ?

Bottom 20%▲ up 15 pts since 2018

From bottom 5% (2018) to bottom 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 13Middle Schools in the Springfield

321^st of 348Springfield 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	20.5	387 of 484	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.7	422 of 493	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.6	409 of 501	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.4	456 of 497	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.8	456 of 501	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.1	475 of 498	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.3	460 of 484	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2024	26.1	159 of 202	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	5.5	194 of 195	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	28.8	128 of 172	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	20.5	409 of 445	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.3	400 of 431	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.9	415 of 424	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.1	396 of 417	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2024	32.3	174 of 180	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	33.0	125 of 155	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.1	100 of 154	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.6	84 of 135	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.9	138 of 138	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	31.7	106 of 127	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	19.5	389 of 473	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.1	399 of 481	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.2	399 of 489	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.5	465 of 494	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.0	449 of 483	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.9	463 of 478	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.6	454 of 463	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	35.9	234 of 376	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.3	245 of 378	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.1	232 of 364	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.7	314 of 368	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.8	279 of 335	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.1	306 of 322	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.5	284 of 309	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	36.4	297 of 464	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.4	358 of 469	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.8	369 of 481	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.8	440 of 489	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.4	422 of 462	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.6	434 of 452	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.2	419 of 438	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	21.7	372 of 473	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.7	426 of 483	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.4	401 of 489	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.4	453 of 497	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.7	445 of 485	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.7	462 of 478	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.6	442 of 466	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	23.6	362 of 435	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.9	410 of 441	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	408 of 444	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.2	451 of 503	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.5	454 of 489	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.5	466 of 484	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.4	438 of 467	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	14.4	424 of 491	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Tested Remotely

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	15.2	316 of 339	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2019	1.4	396 of 396	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.9	393 of 395	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)38th percentile+18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)36th percentile+16 vs school

Male (2025)21st percentile~ school

African American (2024)21st percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)18th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)17th percentile-3 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)14th percentile+5 vs school

Disabled (2022)8th percentile~ school

Tested Remotely (2021)7th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)3rd percentile-11 vs school

White (2019)<1st percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?

Civics25%-14 vs state

English Language Arts25%-17 vs state

Science18%-23 vs state

Mathematics13%-28 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, November 22, 2019

if you have a choice, do not send your child here. I enrolled my daughter in this school. the same week she was accepted in a charter school and I decided to let her go to the charter school instead. 3 months later the principal called me to ask where my daughter was? I asked him what is the policy and procedure for when a child does not show up at school, he replied that he just need to know where my daughter is so that he can take her off his books. not only that he said if I don't tell him where my daughter is he will call DCF. I told him to go right ahead and while he's at it explain to them what their policy and procedure is, when students are absent . absurd!!! maybe its 3 months later. did your child died? oh we just noticed 3 months later. Close Quote

Schools Near Van Sickle Academy

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 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 6th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Science 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Civics 8th Grade	Total
Van Sickle Academy	Public	6-8	1170 Carew Street	Springfield	01104	Hampden County	Springfield	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 750-2887	262	23	11.4		21 (8.0%)	24 (9.2%)	205 (78.2%)	6 (2.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.9%)	20.5	387^th of 484 public middle schools	20.0%		15.7	422^nd of 493 public middle schools	14.4%	35	23.3	16.9	32.6	24.7	6.8	7.8	21.6	12.6	18.3	18.3	25.3	$30,154
Van Sickle Prep	Public	6-8	1170 Carew Street	Springfield	01104	Hampden County	Springfield	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 750-2887	206	18	11.4		16 (7.8%)	40 (19.4%)	146 (70.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)	14.8	424^th of 484 public middle schools	12.4%		14.4	435^th of 493 public middle schools	11.8%	11	15.4	13.8	29.9	20.0	4.7	8.6	13.2	9.0	17.3	17.3	16.9	$46,489
Dupont Middle	Public	6-8	650 Front Street	Chicopee	01013	Hampden County	Chicopee	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 594-1881	683	72	9.5		291 (42.6%)	42 (6.1%)	316 (46.3%)	14 (2.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.6%)	30	324^th of 484 public middle schools	33.1%		35.1	301^st of 493 public middle schools	38.9%	23	25.8	31.2	34.8	30.8	24.1	24.3	19.6	22.5	29.7	29.7	23.3	$22,637
STEM Middle Academy	Public	6-8	60 Alton Street	Springfield	01109	Hampden County	Springfield	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 787-6750	269	24	11.1		38 (14.1%)	36 (13.4%)	176 (65.4%)	7 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.1%)	13	430^th of 484 public middle schools	11.2%		15.6	423^rd of 493 public middle schools	14.2%	7	18.3	18.2	15.9	17.5	15.9	12.4	9.8	12.7	11.0	11.0	12.2	$24,980
Springfield Public Day Middle School	Public	6-8	732 Chestnut Street	Springfield	01107	Hampden County	Springfield	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 787-7281	60	9	6.5		4 (6.7%)	10 (16.7%)	40 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (10.0%)	4.6	482^nd of 484 public middle schools	0.4%		6.5	484^th of 493 public middle schools	1.8%	2	10.0	5.9	0.0	4.7		0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	$38,805
Springfield Middle School	Public	6-8	732 Chestnut Street	Springfield	01102	Hampden County	Springfield	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 787-7284	18	4	4.0		0 (0.0%)	2 (11.1%)	15 (83.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.6%)								(n/a)				0.0				0.0				$40,122
Impact Prep at Chestnut	Public	6-8	355 Plainfield Street	Springfield	01107	Hampden County	Springfield	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 750-2333	278	18	15.1		17 (6.1%)	33 (11.9%)	219 (78.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.2%)	8.6	459^th of 484 public middle schools	5.2%		7.8	469^th of 493 public middle schools	4.9%	10	14.1	14.1	16.4	14.6	6.1	7.5	3.3	5.8	8.6	8.6	6.8	$42,812
Chestnut Accelerated Middle School (Talented and Gifted)	Public	6-8	355 Plainfield Street	Springfield	01107	Hampden County	Springfield	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 750-2333	265	28	9.4		26 (9.8%)	63 (23.8%)	157 (59.2%)	7 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.5%)	62.2	170^th of 484 public middle schools	64.9%		57.7	186^th of 493 public middle schools	62.3%	16	60.4	38.5	52.6	50.4	30.8	36.3	53.3	39.4	44.2	44.2	45.5	$30,972
Springfield Legacy Academy	Public	6-8	355 Plainfield Street	Springfield	01107	Hampden County	Springfield	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 750-2333	299	27	11.0		4 (1.3%)	20 (6.7%)	273 (91.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	4.8	480^th of 484 public middle schools	0.8%		5.4	489^th of 493 public middle schools	0.8%	9	1.8	0.0	4.0	1.9	1.8	0.0	1.0	0.8	2.2	2.2	6.3	$27,013
South End Middle School	Public	6-8	36 Margaret Street	Springfield	01105	Hampden County	Springfield	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 750-2442	163	18	8.9		5 (3.1%)	32 (19.6%)	120 (73.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.7%)	12.2	434^th of 484 public middle schools	10.3%		9.4	459^th of 493 public middle schools	6.9%	25	29.6	18.9	10.4	19.3	6.8	9.6	12.8	9.8	2.1	2.1	6.5	$26,653

Frequently Asked Questions about Van Sickle Academy

What district is Van Sickle Academy in?

Springfield

What is the racial makeup of Van Sickle Academy?

Students at Van Sickle Academy are 78% Hispanic, 9% African American, 8% White, 2% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Van Sickle Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 262 students attended Van Sickle Academy.

Is Van Sickle Academy a good school?

Van Sickle Academy ranks in the bottom 20.0% of Massachusetts middle schools.

Rate Van Sickle Academy!

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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.