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Claiborne Pell Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-4

142^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 163 Rhode Island Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of Rhode Island elementary schools

Summary

Claiborne Pell Elementary in Newport, Rhode Island, serves 657 students in pre-K through grade 4. In 2025–26, 19% of students were proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) and 17% in math. Both results were above the Newport district averages, but the most important finding is that Pell’s scores were far below those of nearby schools serving similar grade ranges.

ELA is Pell’s relative bright spot, while math is its weakest area in these comparisons. Pell scored 19% in ELA, compared with 14% in Newport and 33% statewide; in math, it scored 17%, versus 12% in Newport and 32% statewide. Among four nearby schools serving pre-K or kindergarten through grade 4—the Narragansett Elementary, Howard Hathaway School, Melville School, and Jamestown School-Melrose—average proficiency was 64% in ELA and 69% in math. Pell was 44 points below their ELA average and 52 points below their math average. It was also below the state by 14 points in ELA and 15 in math.

Scores rose and then fell: ELA went from 16% in 2022–23 to 22% in 2024–25, before dropping to 19%; math rose from 17% to 23%, then fell to 17%. The latest math result was 6 points below the previous year. SchoolDigger ranked Pell 142nd of 163 schools (13th percentile, 1 star) in 2025–26. Pell is the largest nearby school, and its 10.9 students per teacher is among the lowest ratios in the comparison, but those measures do not explain its test results. Its free- or reduced-price lunch rate was 74%—at least 33.74 percentage points higher than any nearby school, a contextual observation rather than an explanation. SchoolDigger’s statewide percentile for how well Pell serves students receiving special education fell from 30 to 4; for male students, it fell from 27 to 11.

657

Students ?

10.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

74.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

35 Dexter Street
Newport, RI 02840

(401) 842-1900

District: Newport

Students who attend Claiborne Pell Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Frank E. Thompson Middle
High:	Rogers High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

42.8%

White:

32.6%

Two or more races:

11.6%

See top rated Rhode Island elementary schools

Compare Claiborne Pell Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 39th percentile in 2016 → 13th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Rhode Island average (18% vs 32% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 26 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school18%

District avg13%

Rhode Island avg32%

142^nd of 163

Rhode Island public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 27 pts since 2016

From bottom 39% (2016) to bottom 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Rhode Island Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

55^th of 61Newport 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
2026	16.7	142 of 163	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.2	132 of 166	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.7	141 of 166	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.7	151 of 167	9.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.1	135 of 166	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.5	137 of 166	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.0	147 of 169	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.2	140 of 169	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	34.4	111 of 168	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	43.9	103 of 170	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	44.4	98 of 169	42.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2026	28.5	33 of 43	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.4	42 of 46	8.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	31.1	42 of 58	27.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2026	19.6	134 of 162	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.0	139 of 164	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2026	13.7	110 of 112	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.5	106 of 111	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2026	14.0	147 of 154	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.0	146 of 158	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2026	16.3	144 of 162	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.3	121 of 166	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	38.6	4 of 6	33.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2026	19.1	85 of 89	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	29.7	68 of 97	29.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2026	31.4	94 of 128	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	38.7	83 of 129	35.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2025)33rd percentile+13 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)28th percentile+7 vs school

White (2026)27th percentile+14 vs school

African American (2026)23rd percentile+10 vs school

Female (2026)17th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)11th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)5th percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2026)4th percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2026)2nd percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Rhode Island (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts19%-14 vs state

Mathematics17%-15 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, May 22, 2019

I have loved my experience with Pell Elementary over the last three years. The staff and teachers are caring and attentive. There is a rich diversity of children. The building is beautiful. Despite the poor ratings on this site, my children and I have loved our time here. Close Quote

Schools Near Claiborne Pell Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				NGSA Science (2026)			RICAS English Language Arts (2026)							RICAS Mathematics (2026)							Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NGSA Science 5th Grade	NGSA Science 8th Grade	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 6th Grade	RICAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	RICAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	RICAS English Language Arts All Grades	RICAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	RICAS Mathematics 4th Grade	RICAS Mathematics 5th Grade	RICAS Mathematics 6th Grade	RICAS Mathematics 7th Grade	RICAS Mathematics 8th Grade	RICAS Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Claiborne Pell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	35 Dexter Street	Newport	02840	Newport County	Newport	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 842-1900	657	60	10.9	74.3%	214 (32.6%)	62 (9.4%)	281 (42.8%)	4 (0.6%)	19 (2.9%)	1 (0.2%)	76 (11.6%)	16.7	142^nd of 163 public elementary schools	12.9%		21.2	132^nd of 166 public elementary schools	20.5%	10				16.4	22.2					19.1	15.2	18.3					16.7	$26,299	$2,381	$23,918
Aquidneck School	Public	PK, KG-3	70 Reservoir Avenue	Middletown	02842	Newport County	Middletown	No	(n/a)	No	No	(401) 847-4921	302	24	12.5	28.1%	193 (63.9%)	15 (5.0%)	58 (19.2%)	15 (5.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.3%)	90.1	16^th of 163 public elementary schools	90.2%		93.5	9^th of 166 public elementary schools	94.6%	7				64.4						64.4	61.5						61.5	$21,588	$314	$21,274
Gaudet Learning Academy	Public	4-5	1113 Aquidneck Ave.	Middletown	02842	Newport County	Middletown	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 846-6395	259	21	12.3	40.5%	153 (59.1%)	11 (4.2%)	59 (22.8%)	7 (2.7%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	26 (10.0%)								(n/a)	41.7		41.7		47.1	48.7				47.8		47.2	36.1				42.1	$17,940	$508	$17,432
Forest Avenue School	Public	K-3	315 Forest Avenue	Middletown	02842	Newport County	Middletown	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 849-9434	304	25	12.1	35.9%	167 (54.9%)	26 (8.6%)	75 (24.7%)	12 (3.9%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (7.2%)	63	57^th of 163 public elementary schools	65.0%		71.1	48^th of 166 public elementary schools	71.1%	9				47.7						47.7	40.6						40.6	$18,384	$1,072	$17,312
Jamestown School-Melrose	Public	PK, KG-4	76 Melrose Avenue	Jamestown	02835	Newport County	Jamestown	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 423-7020	207	19	10.8	9.7%	187 (90.3%)	1 (0.5%)	9 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.8%)	94.9	9^th of 163 public elementary schools	94.5%		97.5	3^rd of 166 public elementary schools	98.2%	6				78.8	65.2					70.9	84.8	56.5					68.4	$24,935	$1,022	$23,913
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%)	92.3	14^th of 163 public elementary schools	91.4%		94.9	7^th of 166 public elementary schools	95.8%	7				60.7	77.2					68.6	56.7	77.2					66.7	$20,918	$1,223	$19,696
Wilbur and McMahon Schools	Public	PK, KG-8	28 Commons	Little Compton	02837	Newport County	Little Compton	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 592-0363	216	29	7.4	18.1%	194 (89.8%)	11 (5.1%)	10 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	97.2	3^rd of 163 public elementary schools	98.2%		98.5	1^st of 166 public elementary schools	99.4%	2	82.8	81.0	82.0	78.6	71.4	72.4	72.7	69.6	71.4	72.3	85.7	81.0	58.6	50.0	60.9	81.0	67.7	$30,633	$1,076	$29,557
Hamilton School	Public	K-5	25 Salisbury Avenue	North Kingstown	02852	Washington County	North Kingstown	No	(n/a)	No	No	(401) 268-6520	447	29	15.4	11.0%	380 (85.0%)	4 (0.9%)	21 (4.7%)	11 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.9%)	95.7	6^th of 163 public elementary schools	96.3%		95.5	5^th of 166 public elementary schools	97.0%	1	56.7		56.7	78.9	72.1	58.2				70.3	69.7	75.6	55.2				67.7	$16,119	$608	$15,511
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%)	84.8	25^th of 163 public elementary schools	84.7%		89	17^th of 166 public elementary schools	89.8%	8				50.0	62.2					55.7	51.1	72.0					60.8	$17,272	$1,219	$16,053
Fishing Cove Elementary School	Public	K-5	110 Wickford Point Road	North Kingstown	02852	Washington County	North Kingstown	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 268-6580	346	23	15.0	31.2%	256 (74.0%)	8 (2.3%)	39 (11.3%)	15 (4.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.2%)	83	28^th of 163 public elementary schools	82.8%		95.1	6^th of 166 public elementary schools	96.4%	22	53.8		53.8	45.0	60.0	43.4				48.9	43.9	72.5	59.6				58.6	$22,598	$1,356	$21,242

Frequently Asked Questions about Claiborne Pell Elementary

Is Claiborne Pell Elementary a good school?

Claiborne Pell Elementary ranks in the bottom 12.9% of Rhode Island elementary schools.

What district is Claiborne Pell Elementary in?

Newport

How many students attend Claiborne Pell Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 657 students attended Claiborne Pell Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Claiborne Pell Elementary?

Students at Claiborne Pell Elementary are 43% Hispanic, 33% White, 12% Two or more races, 9% African American, 3% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Claiborne Pell Elementary attend?

Students who attend Claiborne Pell Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Frank E. Thompson Middle
High : Rogers High School

Rate Claiborne Pell Elementary!

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Latest Rhode Island data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataNewOct 9, 2026

2016–17 through 2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 9, 2026

2025–26 NGSA, PSAT10, RICAS & SAT test scoresNewOct 9, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataNov 24, 2025

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.