Summary:
Zip code 49262 is home to a single high school, North AdamsJerome MiddleHigh School, which serves grades 6 through 12 within the North Adams-Jerome Public Schools district, enrolling 163 students in a rural, predominantly low-income community.
For parents, the most striking feature of this school is its graduation paradox. The school posts an exceptional 97.1% graduation rate and a mere 2.8% dropout rate, both far better than state averages of 84.0% and 7.1%. However, this success in keeping students enrolled does not translate into strong academic proficiency. Test scores are consistently below state averages, with particularly concerning results in 9th-grade math (10.71% proficient vs. 33.5% statewide) and 8th-grade social studies (17.39% vs. 47%). Even in science, only 20% of 11th graders are proficient compared to 35.2% statewide. The school’s state ranking has also plummeted from the 49th percentile in 2018-2019 to the 19th percentile for 2025-2026, signaling a significant decline in relative performance over several years.
A critical red flag is the high chronic absenteeism rate of 33.9%, exceeding the state’s 27.9%. With over a third of students missing substantial school days, it is unsurprising that academic outcomes lag. Notably, 7th-grade ELA scores are near the state average, but by 8th and 9th grade, PSAT scores drop dramatically, suggesting students fall behind as they transition to more rigorous coursework. The school does have reasonable resources—a 14.2 student-teacher ratio and $13,530 per-student spending—so the challenges likely stem from attendance issues and the socioeconomic hurdles faced by the 61.96% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, rather than a lack of funding. Addressing absenteeism appears to be the most impactful lever for improving this school’s academic trajectory.
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