Elementary Schools in Portsmouth

Summary:

The Portsmouth school district in Rhode Island is home to two standout elementary schools: Howard Hathaway School and Melville School. Both schools have consistently high academic performance, with exceptional results on the Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS) tests.

Howard Hathaway School is ranked 17th out of 166 Rhode Island elementary schools and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school boasts over 50% proficiency in both English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grades. In contrast, Melville School is ranked 7th in the state and has even higher proficiency rates, with over 70% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and over 65% in Mathematics.

Both schools have relatively low percentages of free/reduced lunch recipients compared to the Portsmouth district average, suggesting a more affluent student population. Additionally, Melville School has higher spending per student and a slightly more favorable student-teacher ratio, which may contribute to its exceptional academic performance.

District Detail

29 Middle Road
Portsmouth, RI 02871

(401) 683-1039

SchoolDigger Rank:
5^th of 60 Rhode Island districts

See the 2025 Rhode Island District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 2,114

Primary Schools: 2
Middle Schools: 1
High Schools: 1
Alternative Schools: 0

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				RICAS English Language Arts (2025)			RICAS Mathematics (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	RICAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	RICAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	RICAS English Language Arts All Grades	RICAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	RICAS Mathematics 4th Grade	RICAS Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Howard Hathaway School	Public	K-4	53 Tallman Avenue	Portsmouth	02871	Newport County	Portsmouth	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 683-0500	409	30	13.6	24.0%	322 (78.7%)	4 (1.0%)	39 (9.5%)	6 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (8.8%)	89	17^th of 166 public elementary schools	89.8%		84.6	29^th of 166 public elementary schools	82.5%	12	51.3	64.9	58.0	60.0	74.4	67.1	$16,737	$1,254	$15,484
Melville School	Public	PK, KG-4	1351 West Main Road	Portsmouth	02871	Newport County	Portsmouth	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 683-1650	316	26	12.1	15.8%	242 (76.6%)	6 (1.9%)	34 (10.8%)	8 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.2%)	94.9	7^th of 166 public elementary schools	95.8%		94.1	7^th of 166 public elementary schools	95.8%		71.9	71.2	71.6	66.7	64.4	65.5	$19,924	$1,935	$17,989

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Tiverton	1.9 mi	5	15^th
Bristol Warren	3.97 mi	7	17^th
Middletown	6.67 mi	5	20^th
Newport	8.12 mi	4	49^th
Little Compton	8.27 mi	1	1^st

See the top RI Rhode Island districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Rhode Island Department of 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.