Summary:
Zip code 01843 in Lawrence, Massachusetts is home to two middle schools serving grades 5 through 8: Frost Middle School, with 508 students, and Spark Academy, with 443 students. Both are part of the Lawrence district, which ranks 337th out of 351 districts statewide — the 4th percentile, with 0 stars.
Spark Academy has the stronger ranking profile: 334th of 478 statewide in 2025–26 (30th percentile, 2 stars), compared with Frost's 347th of 478 (27th percentile, 1 star). Spark has ranked higher in all three years studied, though the gap narrowed from 11 percentile points to 3. Spark also has a much lower student-teacher ratio, 9.4 versus 14.5, and higher per-student spending from 2020–2021, $15,746 versus $15,019. Yet Frost posted the stronger current results in 2025–26: all-grade ELA at 24.83% versus 23.95%, math at 25.11% versus 24.38%, and science at 32.16% versus 24.72%. Frost's science proficiency climbed 12.32 percentage points in one year, and its math rose from 21.24% to 25.11%. Spark remains ahead in 8th grade civics (22.48% versus 18.75%) and in 7th grade ELA and math.
Both schools outperform the district average in every 2025–26 subject shown, but both stay well below state averages — roughly 15 to 17 points behind in ELA and math, with Frost closer in science. Grade-level results split by cohort: Frost leads in 5th and 6th grade ELA and math and in science, while Spark leads in 7th grade ELA/math and 8th grade math. Free/reduced lunch is unknown for both, so it is not part of this comparison. Overall, Spark looks stronger on ranking, resources, and civics, while Frost looks stronger on current core proficiency and recent growth.
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