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Paul Cuffee Lower School

Public, Charter Grades K-5

140^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 166 Rhode Island Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of Rhode Island elementary schools

Summary

Paul Cuffee Lower School is a public charter elementary school serving 357 students in grades K-5 in Providence, Rhode Island. The school is part of the Paul Cuffee Charter School district, which is ranked 48 out of 60 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Paul Cuffee Lower School has consistently ranked in the bottom third of Rhode Island elementary schools over the past several years, with proficiency rates well below state averages in both English Language Arts and Math. In 2024-2025, only 20.5% of students were proficient or better in ELA and 17.8% were proficient or better in Math, compared to state averages of 36.7% in ELA and 38.4% in Math for 3rd grade. The school's performance is particularly low for special education students and Hispanic students, though it performs better for African American students compared to other Rhode Island elementary schools.

Despite the school's academic challenges, it has a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 11.9, which could indicate a focus on providing more individualized attention to students. Compared to nearby district schools like Veazie Street School, Harry Kizirian Elementary, and George J. West Elementary, Paul Cuffee Lower School generally performs worse academically, with lower proficiency rates in ELA and Math. However, the school's high percentage of free/reduced lunch recipients and low overall academic performance suggest that it serves a highly disadvantaged student population, which may contribute to the challenges it faces.

358

Students ?

12.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,670

Per pupil spending ?

86.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

459 Promenade Street
Providence, RI 02908

(401) 453-2626

District: Paul Cuffee Charter School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

69.8%

African American:

18.2%

Two or more races:

4.2%

See top rated Rhode Island elementary schools

Compare Paul Cuffee Lower School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 21st percentile in 2019 → 16th in 2025

Worth a look

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2019

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school18%

District avg17%

140^th of 166

Rhode Island public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 6 pts since 2019

From bottom 21% (2019) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Rhode Island Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

48^th of 60Paul Cuffee Charter School among Rhode Island 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	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	17.8	140 of 166	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	153 of 166	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	150 of 167	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.4	122 of 166	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.8	128 of 166	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.6	133 of 169	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	52.9	19 of 46	58.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	37.2	36 of 58	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	21.4	134 of 164	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	31.5	81 of 111	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	28.8	122 of 158	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	18.1	149 of 166	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	16.8	96 of 97	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)59th percentile+43 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)38th percentile+22 vs school

Hispanic (2025)27th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)23rd percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)18th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)10th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2025)1st percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Rhode Island (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts20%

Mathematics18%

Science10%

★

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Schools Near Paul Cuffee Lower School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NGSA Science (2025)	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	NGSA Science All Grades	RICAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	RICAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	RICAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	RICAS English Language Arts All Grades	RICAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	RICAS Mathematics 4th Grade	RICAS Mathematics 5th Grade	RICAS Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Paul Cuffee Lower School	Public, Charter	K-5	459 Promenade Street	Providence	02908	Providence County	Paul Cuffee Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 453-2626	358	28	12.7	86.3%	14 (3.9%)	65 (18.2%)	250 (69.8%)	6 (1.7%)	6 (1.7%)	2 (0.6%)	15 (4.2%)	17.8	140^th of 166 public elementary schools	15.7%		13.8	153^rd of 166 public elementary schools	7.8%	13	9.8	18.0	25.4	18.0	20.5	13.1	22.2	18.0	17.8	$17,670	$2,772	$14,898
Harry Kizirian Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	60 Camden Avenue	Providence	02908	Providence County	Providence	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 456-9369	434	26	16.6	89.4%	38 (8.8%)	87 (20.0%)	248 (57.1%)	21 (4.8%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (7.8%)	10.2	159^th of 166 public elementary schools	4.2%		8.5	162^nd of 166 public elementary schools	2.4%	3	10.3	14.6	18.5	6.2	13.6	15.4	8.4		9.1	$18,408	$2,874	$15,535
Times2 Elementary School	Public, Charter	K-5	50 Fillmore Street	Providence	02908	Providence County	Providence	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 272-5094	322	29	11.1	85.4%	27 (8.4%)	78 (24.2%)	196 (60.9%)	9 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.4%)	32.4	107^th of 166 public elementary schools	35.5%		28.5	116^th of 166 public elementary schools	30.1%	9	27.5	35.8	22.6	15.7	24.8	34.0	25.9	25.5	28.5	$16,561	$1,100	$15,461
Asa Messer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1655 Westminster Street	Providence	02909	Providence County	Providence	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 456-9401	557	31	17.9	84.0%	38 (6.8%)	76 (13.6%)	391 (70.2%)	27 (4.8%)	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.4%)	26.8	123^rd of 166 public elementary schools	25.9%		48.6	78^th of 166 public elementary schools	53.0%	45		32.4	26.4		29.9	23.6	18.9		21.7	$19,351	$2,571	$16,780
William D'Abate Elementary School	Public	K-5	60 Kossuth Street	Providence	02909	Providence County	Providence	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 456-9416	398	23	17.3	88.7%	21 (5.3%)	38 (9.5%)	313 (78.6%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	15 (3.8%)	18.1	138^th of 166 public elementary schools	16.9%		21.9	135^th of 166 public elementary schools	18.7%	3	13.8	21.7	10.8	15.6	15.9	30.0	17.1	20.0	22.3	$19,175	$3,108	$16,067
George J. West Elementary School	Public	K-5	145 Beaufort Street	Providence	02908	Providence County	Providence	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 456-9337	502	39	12.8	93.4%	35 (7.0%)	79 (15.7%)	345 (68.7%)	4 (0.8%)	5 (1.0%)	2 (0.4%)	32 (6.4%)	22.6	131^st of 166 public elementary schools	21.1%		18.2	139^th of 166 public elementary schools	16.3%	8	14.5	28.0	18.1	19.3	21.6	29.9	24.0	17.9	23.5	$21,606	$3,831	$17,775
Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School	Public	K-5	195 Nelson Street	Providence	02908	Providence County	Providence	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 456-9403	451	23	19.6	69.4%	68 (15.1%)	77 (17.1%)	259 (57.4%)	11 (2.4%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (6.7%)	44.6	87^th of 166 public elementary schools	47.6%		41.7	87^th of 166 public elementary schools	47.6%		14.5	38.5	37.7	17.4	31.0	46.7	51.4	22.4	39.9	$17,930	$4,168	$13,763
Martin Luther King Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	35 Camp Street	Providence	02906	Providence County	Providence	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 456-9398	430	25	17.2	76.5%	74 (17.2%)	81 (18.8%)	214 (49.8%)	24 (5.6%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (5.8%)	33.5	104^th of 166 public elementary schools	37.3%		44.2	86^th of 166 public elementary schools	48.2%	18	16.1	16.3	29.8	19.7	21.9	42.2	34.7	30.2	35.0	$22,526	$3,781	$18,744
SouthSide Elementary Charter	Public, Charter	K-5	135 Prairie Ave	Providence	02905	Providence County	SouthSide Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 270-9007	135	10	13.5	80.7%	4 (3.0%)	43 (31.9%)	82 (60.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.4%)	29.6	116^th of 166 public elementary schools	30.1%		23.3	128^th of 166 public elementary schools	22.9%	12	28.6	21.7	29.2	7.1	21.3	30.4		28.6	19.7	$17,296	$3,842	$13,454
Veazie Street School	Public	PK, KG-5	211 Veazie Street	Providence	02904	Providence County	Providence	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 453-8601	440	29	15.1	84.8%	39 (8.9%)	100 (22.7%)	267 (60.7%)	3 (0.7%)	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.5%)	24 (5.5%)	27.5	121^st of 166 public elementary schools	27.1%		23	131^st of 166 public elementary schools	21.1%	10	21.4	30.6	19.3	17.4	22.7	33.8	24.1	21.7	26.9	$22,349	$3,737	$18,611

Frequently Asked Questions about Paul Cuffee Lower School

What district is Paul Cuffee Lower School in?

Paul Cuffee Charter School

What is the racial makeup of Paul Cuffee Lower School?

Students at Paul Cuffee Lower School are 70% Hispanic, 18% African American, 4% Two or more races, 4% White, 2% Asian, 2% American Indian.

How many students attend Paul Cuffee Lower School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 358 students attended Paul Cuffee Lower School.

Is Paul Cuffee Lower School a good school?

Paul Cuffee Lower School ranks in the bottom 15.7% of Rhode Island elementary schools.

Rate Paul Cuffee Lower School!

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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.