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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 02871

At a glance

Schools

725

Students

5-star schools

Top rankedMelville School7^th of 166 Rhode Island elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Howard Hathaway School up 12 spots statewide this year

See the top-ranked Rhode Island schools →

Summary:

The 02871 zip code area of Portsmouth, Rhode Island is home to two high-performing elementary schools: Melville School and Howard Hathaway School. Both schools serve students in grades K-5 and are part of the Portsmouth school district, which is known for its strong academic performance.

Of the two schools, Melville School stands out as the top performer, ranking 7th out of 166 Rhode Island elementary schools for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years. Melville consistently achieves higher proficiency rates on the RICAS English Language Arts and Mathematics assessments compared to both the Portsmouth district average and the statewide average. For example, in 2024-2025 Melville had 71.6% proficiency in ELA versus 57.9% for Portsmouth, and 65.5% in Math versus 55.6% for Portsmouth.

While both schools perform well above the state averages, Melville School also has a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (12.73%) compared to Howard Hathaway School (16.46%), indicating a more advantaged student population. Additionally, Melville spends more per student ($19,346) compared to Howard Hathaway ($15,514), which may contribute to its stronger academic performance.

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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 (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

Cities Near Zip Code 02871

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Portsmouth	0.41 mi	4	6^th
Middletown	3.75 mi	5	26^th
Tiverton	4.39 mi	5	17^th
Newport	5.19 mi	4	47^th
Bristol	6.39 mi	5	16^th

See the top RI Rhode Island cities

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.