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Asa Messer Elementary School

Q: Is Asa Messer Elementary School a good school?

Asa Messer Elementary School ranks 123 rd of 166 Rhode Island elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

123^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 166 Rhode Island Elementary Schools

Better than 26% of Rhode Island elementary schools

Summary

Asa Messer Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-4 in Providence, Rhode Island, with 538 students. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Rhode Island elementary schools over the past 10 years, with significant challenges in academic performance and high poverty rates.

Asa Messer Elementary consistently underperforms compared to the Providence district and Rhode Island state averages on standardized assessments. In 2024-2025, only 29.9% of Asa Messer students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 17.7% for Providence and 36.7% statewide. In math, only 21.7% of Asa Messer students were proficient, compared to 16.4% for Providence and 38.4% statewide. The school also struggles with low performance for certain student subgroups, ranking in the bottom quarter of Rhode Island elementary schools for Special Education students and the bottom half for Low Socioeconomic Status students.

Interestingly, nearby Achievement First Promesa, Achievement First Envision, and Achievement First Providence charter schools outperform Asa Messer and the Providence district on academic metrics, despite serving similar high-poverty student populations. Additionally, the Leviton Dual Language School outperforms Asa Messer, particularly for English Language Learners, suggesting that a dual language program may be an effective model for supporting ELL students in this community.

557

Students ?

17.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,351

Per pupil spending ?

84%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1655 Westminster Street
Providence, RI 02909

(401) 456-9401

District: Providence

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

70.2%

African American:

13.6%

White:

6.8%

See top rated Rhode Island elementary schools

Compare Asa Messer Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 7th percentile in 2015 → 26th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 19 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg17%

123^rd of 166

Rhode Island public elementary schools ?

Bottom 26%▲ up 19 pts since 2015

From bottom 7% (2015) to bottom 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Rhode Island Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 20Elementary Schools in the Providence

50^th of 60Providence 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	26.8	123 of 166	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	48.6	78 of 166	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	15.7	144 of 167	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.4	156 of 166	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.7	145 of 166	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.5	153 of 169	9.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.4	146 of 169	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	15.2	147 of 168	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	15.8	150 of 170	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	10.0	158 of 169	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	3.1	157 of 159	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	2.4	163 of 165	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	3.2	161 of 165	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	19.3	143 of 165	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	4.3	158 of 169	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	4.0	159 of 169	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	36.4	29 of 46	37.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	60.3	14 of 58	75.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	30.4	111 of 164	32.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	46.8	55 of 111	50.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	43.7	87 of 158	44.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	22.9	131 of 166	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	22.4	85 of 97	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)76th percentile+50 vs school

Hispanic (2025)50th percentile+25 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)45th percentile+19 vs school

African American (2025)37th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)32nd percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)21st percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2025)12th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Rhode Island (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts30%

Mathematics22%

★

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Schools Near Asa Messer Elementary 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
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
Webster Avenue School	Public	K-5	191 Webster Avenue	Providence	02909	Providence County	Providence	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 456-9414	308	20	15.4	83.8%	24 (7.8%)	18 (5.8%)	253 (82.1%)	4 (1.3%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (1.0%)	4 (1.3%)	9.2	162^nd of 166 public elementary schools	2.4%		8.6	161^st of 166 public elementary schools	3.0%	1	9.4	19.6	11.5	8.2	13.2	9.4	9.3	9.4	9.4	$19,126	$4,052	$15,074
Alfred Lima Senior Elementary School	Public	K-5	222 Daboll Street	Providence	02907	Providence County	Providence	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 278-0504	662	39	16.9	90.5%	32 (4.8%)	58 (8.8%)	524 (79.2%)	20 (3.0%)	9 (1.4%)	4 (0.6%)	13 (2.0%)	9.9	161^st of 166 public elementary schools	3.0%		8.8	160^th of 166 public elementary schools	3.6%	1	7.2	9.6	8.2		7.5	22.4	14.1	9.9	15.3	$18,337	$3,886	$14,450
Achievement First Promesa	Public, Charter	K-5	234 Daboll St	Providence	02907	Providence County	Achievement First Rhode Island	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 347-1125	548	41	13.3	83.8%	24 (4.4%)	76 (13.9%)	407 (74.3%)	15 (2.7%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (4.2%)	34.4	102^nd of 166 public elementary schools	38.6%		27.8	119^th of 166 public elementary schools	28.3%	17	29.1	27.2	27.2	25.6	26.7	39.1	27.2	18.6	28.5	$13,919	$1,308	$12,612
Achievement First Providence	Public, Charter	K-4	370 Hartford Avenue	Providence	02909	Providence County	Achievement First Rhode Island	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 347-1106	460	34	13.5	83.0%	21 (4.6%)	68 (14.8%)	353 (76.7%)	8 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.2%)	49.9	74^th of 166 public elementary schools	55.4%		35.6	96^th of 166 public elementary schools	42.2%	22		33.0	29.0		31.0	44.7	44.1		44.4	$14,246	$1,601	$12,645
Achievement First Envision Ele	Public, Charter	K-4	370 Hartford Ave	Providence	02909	Providence County	Achievement First Rhode Island	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(401) 633-6261	458	31	14.7	82.3%	9 (2.0%)	96 (21.0%)	334 (72.9%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.8%)	24	130^th of 166 public elementary schools	21.7%		15.9	145^th of 166 public elementary schools	12.7%	15		26.4	23.9		25.1	32.6	10.5		21.7	$13,206	$1,343	$11,862
Mary E. Fogarty Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	85 Laurel Hill Ave	Providence	02909	Providence County	Providence	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 456-9381	430	24	17.9	90.0%	33 (7.7%)	82 (19.1%)	275 (64.0%)	17 (4.0%)	7 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (3.5%)	15.7	148^th of 166 public elementary schools	10.8%		6.8	166^th of 166 public elementary schools	0.0%	18	6.6	27.5	8.7	17.6	18.0	26.6	13.7	11.8	17.5	$18,932	$3,691	$15,241
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
Frank D. Spaziano Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	35 Merino Street	Providence	02909	Providence County	Providence	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 456-9389	588	31	18.9	85.9%	36 (6.1%)	23 (3.9%)	507 (86.2%)	4 (0.7%)	9 (1.5%)	3 (0.5%)	6 (1.0%)	13.1	153^rd of 166 public elementary schools	7.8%		22.7	133^rd of 166 public elementary schools	19.9%	20	12.0	8.3	14.3	16.7	13.3	17.3	15.9	15.2	16.1	$16,846	$2,579	$14,267

Frequently Asked Questions about Asa Messer Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Asa Messer Elementary School?

Students at Asa Messer Elementary School are 70% Hispanic, 14% African American, 7% White, 5% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Asa Messer Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Asa Messer Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Esek Hopkins Middle
Middle : Governor Christopher DelSesto
Middle : Nathan Bishop Middle
Middle : Nathanael Greene Middle
Middle : Roger Williams Middle
High : Central High School
High : Classical High School
High : Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School
High : Hope High School
High : Mount Pleasant High
High : W B Cooley & Academy Internationa

How many students attend Asa Messer Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 557 students attended Asa Messer Elementary School.

What district is Asa Messer Elementary School in?

Providence

Is Asa Messer Elementary School a good school?

Asa Messer Elementary School ranks 123^rd of 166 Rhode Island elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate Asa Messer Elementary 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.