Summary
Birchwood Middle School serves 390 students in grades 6–8 in North Providence, Rhode Island, and is part of the North Providence district. Its current results show a clear split: English language arts (ELA) is close to the state rate, while math and science fall below it. Most important, math proficiency is 10 points below the state rate, and results in all three subjects have declined since 2022–23.
ELA is Birchwood’s strongest subject compared with both the district and state: 33.2% of students were proficient, just above the state’s 33.1% and above the district’s 29.3%. Math was 22.2%, nearly level with the district’s 22.3% but well below the state’s 31.9%; science was 24.8%, above the district’s 24.0% but below the state’s 31.1%. Against nearby schools, Birchwood ranked third in ELA, fifth in math and fourth in science, and scored above the nearby averages in all three subjects. For example, it trails Lincoln Middle School in each subject, but leads its closest same-district comparison, Dr. Edward Ricci School, by 2 points in ELA, 2 in math and 9 in science. Nearby schools serve different grade spans, so these all-grades comparisons are broad context.
The longer-term direction is concerning: from 2022–23 to 2025–26, proficiency fell 10 points in ELA, 8 in math and 16 in science, although math rose 2 points in the latest year. SchoolDigger ranks Birchwood 36th of 68 Rhode Island schools, at the 47th percentile with 2 stars—down 21 percentile points since 2021–22. Its 12.5 students per teacher is the second-lowest reported among nearby schools; its free/reduced-lunch rate is 56%, compared with a nearby average of about 79%, as context rather than an explanation of results. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness measure for English Language Learner Students dropped from the 44th to the 0th percentile, while its measure for Special Education Students fell from the 67th to the 38th percentile, below Birchwood’s overall 47th percentile.
Thank you for your feedback!