Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 02746

Zip code 02746 in New Bedford, Massachusetts contains three elementary schools serving roughly 2,032 students combined: Alma del Mar Charter School (K–8, 1,042 students), Hayden/McFadden (K–5, 748 students), and Carlos Pacheco (K–5, 242 students). Two are part of the New Bedford district, which ranks 327 of 351 districts at the 7th percentile with 0 stars, while Alma del Mar belongs to its own charter district, Alma del Mar Charter School (District), ranked 272 of 351 at the 23rd percentile with 1 star. All three are working in a relatively low-ranked local context.

Alma del Mar Charter School is the strongest and most improved of the three. It ranked 566 of 899 in 2025–2026 at the 37th percentile with 2 stars, up from 665 of 916 at the 27th percentile in 2023–2024. Its all-grade proficiency was 29.47% in ELA, 31.87% in math, and 23.21% in science — the best ELA and math among the three, though still below state averages. It also beats the state in 5th grade ELA (40.40% vs. 38.15%) and 3rd grade math (43.00% vs. 42.19%). Carlos Pacheco stands out in science at 34.21%, more than double the New Bedford district's 16.05%, with 5th grade math at 36.84% versus the district's 22.00%; however, its overall ELA is just 13.93%, and its 4th grade ELA of 5.13% is the lowest result in this data set. Hayden/McFadden is the lowest performer, ranking 857 of 899 at the 5th percentile with 0 stars in each of the past three years, and posting all-grade rates of 14.04% in ELA, 14.37% in math, and 12.24% in science.

Spending and class size do not track with results here. Hayden/McFadden has the highest per-student spending ($18,665) and the highest student-teacher ratio (12.6) yet the lowest outcomes, while Alma del Mar Charter School spends the least ($16,668). Note that Alma serves grades K–8 while the other two serve K–5, so all-grade comparisons are imperfect. Overall, the zip code offers one relatively stronger charter option, a district school with localized science strength, and one school that remains persistently at the bottom.