John M Tobin

Summary:

John M Tobin is an exceptional elementary school in Cambridge, MA that serves 320 students in grades PK-5. The school consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in Massachusetts, with consistently high academic performance across all subjects and grade levels that exceeds state and district averages.

John M Tobin's academic excellence is particularly noteworthy, as the school has ranked as high as #42 out of 928 schools in the state. In the 2023-2024 school year, 69.31% of all students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 55.2% in Cambridge and 39.17% statewide. The school's performance is also strong for specific student subgroups, such as White students (ranked #2-7 out of 753-762 schools) and Special Education students (ranked #31-59 out of 731-905 schools).

Another notable aspect of John M Tobin is its diverse student population, with a relatively even distribution across White, African American, Asian, and students of two or more races. This diversity sets the school apart from some nearby schools, such as Maria L. Baldwin and Cambridgeport, which have significantly higher percentages of White students. The school's low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 10.5 to 12.5 over the past 3 years, is also a differentiating factor compared to many nearby schools.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 359 Broadway
       Cambridge, MA  02139


(617) 349-6600

District: Cambridge

SchoolDigger Rank:
67th of 916 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $32,016 Help


Students who attend John M Tobin usually attend:

Middle:    Cambridge Street Upper School
    Putnam Avenue Upper School
    Rindge Avenue Upper School
    Vassal Lane Upper School
High:    Cambridge Rindge and Latin

Student/teacher ratio:  9.9 Help
Number of students:  326

Racial breakdown:

White:
39.9%
African American:
22.1%
Asian:
19.0%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  39.7% Help


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 Compare John M Tobin to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
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Compare Details John M Tobin ranks better than 92.7% of elementary schools in Massachusetts. It also ranks 3rd among 12 ranked elementary schools in the Cambridge School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 90.45. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Student population at John M Tobin is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (39.9%), African American (22.1%), Asian (19%). (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at John M Tobin is 9.9, which is the 6th best among 12 elementary schools in the Cambridge School District. (See more...)
Help
Compare John M Tobin employs 32.6 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at John M Tobin is $32,016. 9 elementary schools in the Cambridge School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

John M Tobin:

SchoolDigger ranks John M Tobin 67th of 916 Massachusetts public elementary schools. (See John M Tobin in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Cambridge:

SchoolDigger ranks Cambridge 101st of 351 Massachusetts school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for John M Tobin

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Compare

Rank History for all students at John M Tobin

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 23.97 694th 884 21.5%
2004 14.52 759th 882 13.9%
2005 28.31 657th 887 25.9%
2006 28.49 696th 911 23.6%
2007 31.95 683rd 911 25.0%
2008 33.73 653rd 908 28.1%
2009 32.35 662nd 909 27.2%
2010 24.41 736th 920 20.0%
2011 34.97 650th 924 29.7%
2012 38.85 618th 930 33.5%
2013 64.53 358th 928 61.4%
2014 67.79 310th 926 66.5%
2015 81.26 145th 914 84.1%
2016 86.78 90th 932 90.3%
2017 81.45 162nd 938 82.7%
2018 83.05 137th 934 85.3%
2019 87.84 89th 942 90.6%
2021 90.47 74th 936 92.1%
2022 89.63 90th 932 90.3%
2023 93.48 42nd 928 95.5%
2024 90.45 67th 916 92.7%
See the entire list of Massachusetts Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at John M Tobin

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 85.36 72nd 886 91.9%
2019 81.53 92nd 896 89.7%
2021 92.60 31st 894 96.5%
2022 83.77 87th 905 90.4%
2024 85.98 59th 731 91.9%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at John M Tobin

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 96.96 8th 685 98.8%
2019 82.13 52nd 700 92.6%
2021 72.48 117th 705 83.4%
2024 62.84 222nd 760 70.8%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at John M Tobin

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 83.20 106th 893 88.1%
2019 85.00 101st 902 88.8%
2021 83.74 139th 898 84.5%
2022 90.52 61st 901 93.2%
2023 90.71 50th 887 94.4%
2024 86.25 101st 886 88.6%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at John M Tobin

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 78.59 177th 898 80.3%
2019 87.43 74th 907 91.8%
2021 91.43 49th 904 94.6%
2022 84.78 114th 908 87.4%
2023 93.26 34th 896 96.2%
2024 90.62 55th 891 93.8%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Tested In Person students at John M Tobin

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 89.87 70th 925 92.4%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Tested In Person Students!

Rank History for African American students at John M Tobin

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 94.33 4th 174 97.7%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for White students at John M Tobin

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 94.10 9th 780 98.8%
2021 97.13 1st 765 99.9%
2022 96.62 6th 764 99.2%
2023 96.24 2nd 762 99.7%
2024 95.05 7th 753 99.1%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for White 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.

John M Tobin 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: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Open Quote My kids (7 and 5 years old) are attending Tobin in the English Special Immersion program and the experience is being very positive. The ratio teacher/student is about 1/5 and the ambient is wonderful! Teacher are excellent and very devoted to their task. All the teachers, staff and the principal are very involved in improving the school and there is a special interest in promoting family participation in the school activities. All the parents I have met at the school are very happy with the setting (specially those with kids in the Montesori program). I would recomend this school for expatriates comming to Cambridge only for a year. Close Quote



Enrollment information for John M Tobin

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 377 217 26 46 0 n/a n/a 0 666
1989 367 205 24 47 1 n/a n/a 0 644
1990 349 206 36 47 0 n/a n/a 0 638
1991 371 209 37 57 0 n/a n/a 0 674
1992 346 239 46 62 2 n/a n/a 0 695
1993 365 245 45 48 1 n/a n/a 0 704
1994 353 277 60 42 3 n/a n/a 0 735
1995 354 294 65 39 0 n/a n/a 0 752
1996 354 294 65 39 0 n/a n/a 0 752
1997 325 283 60 42 4 n/a n/a 0 714
1998 287 274 56 54 2 n/a n/a 0 673
1999 223 263 62 51 2 n/a n/a 0 601
2000 216 241 60 44 2 n/a n/a 0 563
2001 173 215 67 51 2 n/a n/a 0 508
2002 101 212 48 48 1 n/a n/a 0 410
2003 101 212 48 48 1 n/a n/a 0 410
2004 93 224 62 35 0 n/a n/a 0 414
2005 78 209 78 44 3 n/a n/a 0 412
2006 73 182 54 34 2 n/a n/a 4 349
2007 50 150 59 37 4 n/a n/a 4 304
2008 54 133 76 35 5 n/a n/a 6 309
2009 68 122 75 38 5 1 13 0 322
2010 96 129 73 42 5 0 18 0 363
2011 110 147 70 54 5 0 21 0 407
2012 121 151 80 39 4 1 22 0 418
2013 101 74 44 26 2 0 27 0 274
2014 117 71 42 25 3 0 29 0 287
2015 113 76 40 26 1 0 36 0 292
2016 115 69 41 29 1 0 26 0 281
2017 112 73 44 32 2 0 28 0 291
2018 115 77 44 27 2 0 28 0 293
2019 130 67 53 28 2 0 27 0 307
2020 139 61 51 31 2 0 27 0 311
2021 140 56 54 23 2 0 32 0 307
2022 129 72 56 24 1 0 39 0 321
2023 127 76 51 25 0 0 41 0 320
2024 130 72 62 26 0 0 36 0 326

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 John M Tobin

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 666 n/a n/a n/a
1989 644 n/a n/a n/a
1990 638 n/a n/a n/a
1991 674 n/a n/a n/a
1992 695 n/a n/a n/a
1993 704 n/a 0.0 n/a
1994 735 n/a n/a n/a
1995 752 n/a 0.0 n/a
1996 752 n/a 0.0 n/a
1997 714 n/a 0.0 n/a
1998 673 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 601 n/a 0.0 34.8
2000 563 n/a 0.0 43.2
2001 508 n/a 0.0 40.2
2002 410 n/a n/a 54.9
2003 410 n/a n/a 54.9
2004 414 48.6 8.5 55.3
2005 412 48.4 8.5 59
2006 349 46.7 7.5 60
2007 304 40.0 7.6 59.7
2008 309 37.1 8.3 54.1
2009 322 36.9 8.7 52.2
2010 363 46.5 7.7 47.9
2011 407 40.2 10.1 53.6
2012 418 43.5 9.6 52.9
2013 274 19.8 13.7 40.5
2014 287 21.5 13.3 37.3
2015 292 21.0 13.9 39.7
2016 281 21.0 13.3 n/a
2017 291 21.9 13.2 n/a
2018 293 21.7 13.4 n/a
2019 307 20.3 15.0 n/a
2020 311 23.9 12.9 n/a
2021 307 24.4 12.5 n/a
2022 321 29.2 10.9 n/a
2023 320 30.3 10.5 n/a
2024 326 32.6 9.9 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 John M Tobin

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 666 n/a n/a n/a
1989 644 n/a n/a n/a
1990 638 n/a n/a n/a
1991 674 n/a n/a n/a
1992 695 n/a n/a n/a
1993 704 n/a 0.0 n/a
1994 735 n/a n/a n/a
1995 752 n/a 0.0 n/a
1996 752 n/a 0.0 n/a
1997 714 n/a 0.0 n/a
1998 673 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 601 n/a 0.0 34.8
2000 563 n/a 0.0 43.2
2001 508 n/a 0.0 40.2
2002 410 n/a n/a 54.9
2003 410 n/a n/a 54.9
2004 414 48.6 8.5 55.3
2005 412 48.4 8.5 59
2006 349 46.7 7.5 60
2007 304 40.0 7.6 59.7
2008 309 37.1 8.3 54.1
2009 322 36.9 8.7 52.2
2010 363 46.5 7.7 47.9
2011 407 40.2 10.1 53.6
2012 418 43.5 9.6 52.9
2013 274 19.8 13.7 40.5
2014 287 21.5 13.3 37.3
2015 292 21.0 13.9 39.7
2016 281 21.0 13.3 n/a
2017 291 21.9 13.2 n/a
2018 293 21.7 13.4 n/a
2019 307 20.3 15.0 n/a
2020 311 23.9 12.9 n/a
2021 307 24.4 12.5 n/a
2022 321 29.2 10.9 n/a
2023 320 30.3 10.5 n/a
2024 326 32.6 9.9 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 John M Tobin

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $151 (0.6%) $26,096 (99.4%) $26,247
2020 $282 (1.0%) $27,838 (99.0%) $28,119
2021 $484 (1.5%) $31,531 (98.5%) $32,016

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

Impact of COVID-19 on John M Tobin

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 89th of 942 Elementary schoolsRanks 42nd of 928 Elementary schools
 4.9%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (John M Tobin)8470.3
 13.7%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Cambridge)6863.8
 4.2%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5643.9
 12.1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (John M Tobin)8175.7
 5.3%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Cambridge)5758.2
 1.2%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4941
 8%
4th Grade English Language Arts (John M Tobin)7485.3
 11.3%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Cambridge)6056.9
 3.1%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5239.7
 12.3%
4th Grade Mathematics (John M Tobin)6770.6
 3.6%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Cambridge)5961.9
 2.9%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4945
 4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (John M Tobin)8874.1
 13.9%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Cambridge)6463
 1%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5243.8
 8.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (John M Tobin)7170.4
 0.6%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Cambridge)5157.3
 6.3%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4940.9
 8.2%
5th Grade Science (John M Tobin)5974.1
 15.1%
   5th Grade Science (Cambridge)5357.1
 4.1%
   5th Grade Science (Massachusetts)4841.6
 6.4%
All Grades English Language Arts (John M Tobin)8176.5
 4.5%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Cambridge)6058.6
 1.4%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5242.3
 9.7%
All Grades Mathematics (John M Tobin)7372.5
 0.6%
   All Grades Mathematics (Cambridge)5353.4
 0.3%
   All Grades Mathematics (Massachusetts)4940.6
 8.4%
All Grades Science (John M Tobin)5974.1
 15.1%
   All Grades Science (Cambridge)4950.8
 1.8%
   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 Students307320
 4.2%
African American6776
 13.4%
American Indian20
 100%
Asian5351
 3.8%
Hispanic2825
 10.7%
Pacific Islander00
White130127
 2.3%
Two or More Races2741
 51.9%


Schools Near John M Tobin









Frequently Asked Questions about John M Tobin

Students at John M Tobin are 40% White, 22% African American, 19% Asian, 11% Two or more races, 8% Hispanic.

Yes. John M Tobin ranks in the top 7.3% of Massachusetts elementary schools.

In the 2023-24 school year, 326 students attended John M Tobin.


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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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