Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

Summary:

Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School is an exceptional elementary school in Cambridge, MA, serving grades PK-6 with a diverse student population. The school consistently outperforms state and district averages on academic assessments, ranking among the top 5% of elementary schools in Massachusetts.

Benjamin Banneker's academic performance is truly remarkable, with 78.8% of students proficient or better in ELA and 82.07% in Math, far exceeding the state averages of 39.17% and 40.91% respectively. The school ranks #1 in the state for African American students and #2 for low-income students in ELA and Math proficiency. This consistent high performance has earned Benjamin Banneker a ranking as high as #12 out of 916 elementary schools in Massachusetts. The school's relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 15.6 to 32.6, may contribute to its ability to provide personalized attention and support to its diverse student body.

Compared to nearby schools in Medford, Somerville, and parts of Cambridge, Benjamin Banneker stands out with its exceptional academic outcomes and resources. While the nearby district schools generally have lower performance and serve more economically advantaged populations, Benjamin Banneker spends significantly more per student ($24,797 in 2020-2021) than the district average of around $20,000. This investment in resources likely plays a role in the school's ability to consistently deliver high-quality education and exceptional results for its students.


Detail:

Public, Charter PK, KG-6

 21 Notre Dame Avenue
       Cambridge, MA  02142


(617) 497-7771

District: Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District)

SchoolDigger Rank:
12th of 916 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $24,797 Help


Student/teacher ratio:  16.6 Help
Number of students:  332

Racial breakdown:

African American:
81.6%
Hispanic:
8.1%
Two or more races:
5.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  66.9% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School ranks better than 98.7% of elementary schools in Massachusetts. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 95.99. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (81.6%), Hispanic (8.1%), two or more races (5.4%). (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School is 16.6. (See more...)
Help
Compare Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School employs 20 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School is $24,797.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School:

SchoolDigger ranks Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School 12th of 916 Massachusetts public elementary schools. (See Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:


Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District):

SchoolDigger ranks Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District) 3rd of 351 Massachusetts school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 4.39 853rd 884 3.5%
2004 13.52 769th 882 12.8%
2005 11.81 797th 887 10.1%
2006 9.83 841st 911 7.7%
2007 16.13 793rd 911 13.0%
2008 11.44 823rd 908 9.4%
2009 18.86 772nd 909 15.1%
2010 19.96 782nd 920 15.0%
2011 27.43 713th 924 22.8%
2012 40.28 602nd 930 35.3%
2013 46.90 539th 928 41.9%
2014 58.36 429th 926 53.7%
2016 75.36 222nd 932 76.2%
2017 84.55 116th 938 87.6%
2018 78.13 190th 934 79.7%
2019 83.82 127th 942 86.5%
2021 81.89 152nd 936 83.8%
2022 93.64 33rd 932 96.5%
2023 95.13 22nd 928 97.6%
2024 95.99 12th 916 98.7%
See the entire list of Massachusetts Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 89.41 44th 886 95.0%
2019 91.43 23rd 896 97.4%
2021 93.53 24th 894 97.3%
2022 99.71 1st 905 99.9%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 92.00 16th 685 97.7%
2019 93.20 12th 700 98.3%
2021 97.53 5th 705 99.3%
2022 99.88 2nd 772 99.7%
2023 99.97 1st 757 99.9%
2024 99.90 2nd 760 99.7%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 68.60 285th 893 68.1%
2019 74.69 214th 902 76.3%
2021 76.43 196th 898 78.2%
2022 90.71 57th 901 93.7%
2023 95.64 9th 887 99.0%
2024 97.73 1st 886 99.9%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 61.84 193rd 656 70.6%
2021 74.23 114th 632 82.0%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 81.49 140th 898 84.4%
2019 86.50 95th 907 89.5%
2021 81.28 160th 904 82.3%
2022 94.37 21st 908 97.7%
2023 91.48 54th 896 94.0%
2024 90.86 49th 891 94.5%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Tested In Person students at Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 81.60 159th 925 82.8%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Tested In Person Students!

Rank History for African American students at Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 97.31 1st 174 99.4%
2019 98.58 3rd 172 98.3%
2021 99.36 1st 166 99.4%
2022 99.90 1st 173 99.4%
2023 99.97 1st 167 99.4%
2024 99.92 1st 167 99.4%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Data source: test scores: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 







Data source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)
0%

100%

0%

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0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Open Quote BBCPS is a great school. The teachers and administrators are dedicated in teaching the students academics skills needed to be successful in classrooms, standardized tests and in public.
My biggest regret is not enrolling my eldest daughter in the school when she was a lot younger. It's sad that the school stops at six grade. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1997 8 160 1 24 2 n/a n/a 0 195
1998 8 232 1 14 0 n/a n/a 0 255
1999 6 158 2 7 2 n/a n/a 0 175
2000 4 281 2 25 3 n/a n/a 0 315
2001 1 305 1 18 3 n/a n/a 0 328
2002 4 288 2 24 4 n/a n/a 0 322
2003 4 288 2 24 4 n/a n/a 0 322
2004 3 283 1 39 3 n/a n/a 0 329
2005 1 268 1 28 4 n/a n/a 0 302
2006 0 258 0 34 0 n/a n/a 8 300
2007 0 249 0 48 2 n/a n/a 11 310
2008 0 266 1 48 2 n/a n/a 8 325
2009 1 256 3 44 2 0 6 0 312
2010 2 259 6 48 1 0 10 0 326
2011 3 266 5 57 1 0 9 0 341
2012 2 275 4 57 3 0 12 0 353
2013 1 283 5 55 2 0 8 0 354
2014 3 276 5 54 3 0 4 0 345
2015 4 280 4 53 3 0 3 0 347
2016 11 278 6 47 4 0 3 0 349
2017 9 276 9 46 3 0 4 0 347
2018 7 300 3 39 0 0 5 0 354
2019 7 295 3 39 1 2 7 0 354
2020 8 277 3 32 1 2 13 0 336
2021 9 268 6 40 1 2 17 1 344
2022 10 265 6 28 0 0 19 1 329
2023 9 271 6 27 0 0 18 1 332

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1997 195 n/a 0.0 n/a
1998 255 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 175 n/a 0.0 0
2000 315 n/a 0.0 0
2001 328 n/a 0.0 0
2002 322 n/a n/a 73.6
2003 322 n/a n/a 73.6
2004 329 28.5 11.5 75.4
2005 302 31.4 9.6 74.2
2006 300 29.8 10.1 74
2007 310 25.0 12.4 78.6
2008 325 23.6 13.8 78.9
2009 312 22.0 14.2 73.1
2010 326 22.0 14.8 78.8
2011 341 23.0 14.8 85
2012 353 23.4 15.0 84.1
2013 354 22.4 15.7 81.9
2014 345 20.0 17.2 81.4
2015 347 20.0 17.3 66.9
2016 349 21.0 16.6 n/a
2017 347 20.0 17.3 n/a
2018 354 18.0 19.6 n/a
2019 354 17.8 19.8 n/a
2020 336 19.0 17.6 n/a
2021 344 10.5 32.6 n/a
2022 329 21.0 15.6 n/a
2023 332 20.0 16.6 n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1997 195 n/a 0.0 n/a
1998 255 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 175 n/a 0.0 0
2000 315 n/a 0.0 0
2001 328 n/a 0.0 0
2002 322 n/a n/a 73.6
2003 322 n/a n/a 73.6
2004 329 28.5 11.5 75.4
2005 302 31.4 9.6 74.2
2006 300 29.8 10.1 74
2007 310 25.0 12.4 78.6
2008 325 23.6 13.8 78.9
2009 312 22.0 14.2 73.1
2010 326 22.0 14.8 78.8
2011 341 23.0 14.8 85
2012 353 23.4 15.0 84.1
2013 354 22.4 15.7 81.9
2014 345 20.0 17.2 81.4
2015 347 20.0 17.3 66.9
2016 349 21.0 16.6 n/a
2017 347 20.0 17.3 n/a
2018 354 18.0 19.6 n/a
2019 354 17.8 19.8 n/a
2020 336 19.0 17.6 n/a
2021 344 10.5 32.6 n/a
2022 329 21.0 15.6 n/a
2023 332 20.0 16.6 n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2020 $1,122 (4.7%) $22,999 (95.3%) $24,121
2021 $1,945 (7.8%) $22,852 (92.2%) $24,797

Data source: Massachusetts Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 127th of 942 Elementary schoolsRanks 22nd of 928 Elementary schools
 11.1%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School)7880.5
 2.5%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District))7880.5
 2.5%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5643.9
 12.1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School)7585.4
 10.4%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District))7585.4
 10.4%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4941
 8%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School)6371.7
 8.7%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District))6371.7
 8.7%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5239.7
 12.3%
4th Grade Mathematics (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School)6384.8
 21.8%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District))6384.8
 21.8%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4945
 4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School)7586.7
 11.7%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District))7586.7
 11.7%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5243.8
 8.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School)7166.7
 4.3%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District))7166.7
 4.3%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4940.9
 8.2%
5th Grade Science (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School)6866.7
 1.3%
   5th Grade Science (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District))6866.7
 1.3%
   5th Grade Science (Massachusetts)4841.6
 6.4%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School)7879.5
 1.5%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District))7879.5
 1.5%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5442.3
 11.7%
6th Grade Mathematics (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School)6874.4
 6.4%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District))6874.4
 6.4%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)5141
 10%
All Grades English Language Arts (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School)7479.5
 5.5%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District))7479.5
 5.5%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5242.3
 9.7%
All Grades Mathematics (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School)6977.8
 8.8%
   All Grades Mathematics (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District))6977.8
 8.8%
   All Grades Mathematics (Massachusetts)4940.6
 8.4%
All Grades Science (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School)6866.7
 1.3%
   All Grades Science (Benjamin Banneker Charter Public (District))6866.7
 1.3%
   All Grades Science (Massachusetts)4741.2
 5.8%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students354332
 6.2%
African American295271
 8.1%
American Indian10
 100%
Asian36
 100%
Hispanic3927
 30.8%
Pacific Islander20
 100%
White79
 28.6%
Two or More Races718
 157.1%


Schools Near Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School









Frequently Asked Questions about Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School

In the 2022-23 school year, 332 students attended Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School.

Students at Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School are 82% African American, 8% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 3% White, 2% Asian.

Yes! Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 12th of 916 Massachusetts elementary schools.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary 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.





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