Wm L Foster Elementary

Summary:

Wm L Foster Elementary is a public elementary school in Hingham, Massachusetts, serving 403 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in the state, with exceptional academic performance and a strong focus on serving diverse student populations.

Wm L Foster Elementary's academic achievements are truly impressive. The school's students consistently score well above the state average on MCAS assessments, with a significantly higher percentage of students scoring proficient or better in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. The school's performance is particularly noteworthy in serving its special education and low socioeconomic status student populations, ranking among the top schools in the state for these subgroups. Additionally, the school maintains a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 11.3 to 12.3 students per teacher, which likely contributes to its academic success.

While Wm L Foster Elementary outperforms many of the nearby schools in the Hingham School District, the district as a whole is known for providing a high-quality education to its students. Several other schools in the district, such as South Elementary and Lillian M Jacobs, also rank among the top elementary schools in the state. This suggests that the Hingham School District is committed to excellence and ensuring that all students receive a robust educational experience.


Detail:

Public K-5

 55 Downer Avenue
       Hingham, MA  02043-2523


(781) 741-1520

District: Hingham

SchoolDigger Rank:
40th of 916 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $16,522 Help


Students who attend Wm L Foster Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Hingham Middle School
High:    Hingham High

Student/teacher ratio:  11.7 Help
Number of students:  403

Racial breakdown:

White:
86.4%
Two or more races:
6.9%
Hispanic:
3.7%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  8% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Wm L Foster Elementary ranks better than 95.6% of elementary schools in Massachusetts. It also ranks 3rd among 4 ranked elementary schools in the Hingham School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 93.06. (See more...)
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (86.4%), two or more races (6.9%), Hispanic (3.7%). (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Wm L Foster Elementary is 11.7, which is the lowest among 4 elementary schools in the Hingham School District! (See more...)
Help
Compare Wm L Foster Elementary employs 34.2 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Wm L Foster Elementary is $16,522. 2 elementary schools in the Hingham School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Wm L Foster Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Wm L Foster Elementary 40th of 916 Massachusetts public elementary schools. (See Wm L Foster Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Special Education students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Hingham:

SchoolDigger ranks Hingham 8th of 351 Massachusetts school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Wm L Foster Elementary

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Wm L Foster Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 71.38 272nd 884 69.2%
2004 72.82 256th 882 71.0%
2005 81.59 150th 887 83.1%
2006 89.13 58th 911 93.6%
2007 86.33 88th 911 90.3%
2008 81.10 153rd 908 83.1%
2009 80.28 163rd 909 82.1%
2010 78.97 188th 920 79.6%
2011 76.69 223rd 924 75.9%
2012 82.71 139th 930 85.1%
2013 84.47 112th 928 87.9%
2014 84.79 98th 926 89.4%
2015 86.71 79th 914 91.4%
2016 85.40 108th 932 88.4%
2017 91.99 30th 938 96.8%
2018 93.89 12th 934 98.7%
2019 95.22 10th 942 98.9%
2021 93.73 32nd 936 96.6%
2022 93.05 39th 932 95.8%
2023 92.66 50th 928 94.6%
2024 93.06 40th 916 95.6%
See the entire list of Massachusetts Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Wm L Foster Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 85.52 69th 886 92.2%
2019 81.59 91st 896 89.8%
2021 78.62 130th 894 85.5%
2022 82.80 92nd 905 89.8%
2023 97.62 8th 703 98.9%
2024 99.55 2nd 731 99.7%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Wm L Foster Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 98.36 3rd 685 99.6%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Wm L Foster Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 91.98 22nd 893 97.5%
2019 92.07 25th 902 97.2%
2021 90.75 52nd 898 94.2%
2022 87.71 96th 901 89.3%
2023 90.01 59th 887 93.3%
2024 88.27 71st 886 92.0%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Wm L Foster Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 85.93 53rd 656 91.9%
2019 91.17 24th 665 96.4%
2021 87.75 45th 632 92.9%
2022 91.22 27th 672 96.0%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Wm L Foster Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 92.93 15th 898 98.3%
2019 94.90 10th 907 98.9%
2021 93.95 17th 904 98.1%
2022 94.83 17th 908 98.1%
2023 91.94 46th 896 94.9%
2024 94.61 21st 891 97.6%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Tested In Person students at Wm L Foster Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 93.36 32nd 925 96.5%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Tested In Person Students!

Rank History for White students at Wm L Foster Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 90.46 23rd 772 97.0%
2019 92.78 19th 780 97.6%
2021 90.10 31st 765 95.9%
2022 88.60 43rd 764 94.4%
2023 87.35 61st 762 92.0%
2024 86.38 65th 753 91.4%
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.

Wm L Foster Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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Enrollment information for Wm L Foster Elementary

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 607 9 0 5 0 n/a n/a 0 621
1989 540 6 2 4 0 n/a n/a 0 552
1990 649 4 0 4 0 n/a n/a 0 657
1991 617 10 4 3 0 n/a n/a 0 634
1992 664 10 9 4 0 n/a n/a 0 687
1993 648 7 8 5 0 n/a n/a 0 668
1994 678 8 9 3 0 n/a n/a 0 698
1995 725 6 10 4 0 n/a n/a 0 745
1996 725 6 10 4 0 n/a n/a 0 745
1997 647 5 4 4 0 n/a n/a 0 660
1998 637 8 7 5 0 n/a n/a 0 657
1999 624 9 9 3 0 n/a n/a 0 645
2000 565 14 9 3 0 n/a n/a 0 591
2001 576 14 14 5 0 n/a n/a 0 609
2002 529 14 14 5 0 n/a n/a 0 562
2003 529 14 14 5 0 n/a n/a 0 562
2004 548 11 12 5 0 n/a n/a 0 576
2005 562 8 9 3 1 n/a n/a 0 583
2006 557 8 0 6 1 n/a n/a 7 579
2007 523 8 3 8 0 n/a n/a 15 557
2008 560 9 5 14 0 n/a n/a 19 607
2009 569 9 8 15 0 0 18 0 619
2010 430 10 9 10 0 0 23 0 482
2011 442 7 12 6 0 0 20 0 487
2012 427 8 12 8 0 0 19 0 474
2013 433 6 10 9 0 0 20 0 478
2014 442 8 12 9 0 1 14 0 486
2015 432 6 10 10 0 0 17 0 475
2016 420 6 13 12 0 0 19 0 470
2017 424 6 9 17 0 0 14 0 470
2018 397 3 9 20 0 0 17 0 446
2019 422 2 10 27 0 0 19 0 480
2020 432 4 7 25 0 0 27 0 495
2021 375 7 8 25 0 0 30 0 445
2022 358 4 7 17 0 1 32 0 419
2023 348 4 7 15 0 1 28 0 403

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 Wm L Foster Elementary

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Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 621 n/a n/a n/a
1989 552 n/a n/a n/a
1990 657 n/a n/a n/a
1991 634 n/a n/a n/a
1992 687 n/a n/a n/a
1993 668 n/a 0.0 n/a
1994 698 n/a n/a n/a
1995 745 n/a 0.0 n/a
1996 745 n/a 0.0 n/a
1997 660 n/a 0.0 n/a
1998 657 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 645 n/a 0.0 4.7
2000 591 n/a 0.0 3.6
2001 609 n/a 0.0 3.4
2002 562 n/a n/a 4.1
2003 562 n/a n/a 4.1
2004 576 38.2 15.1 4.7
2005 583 38.8 15.0 4.8
2006 579 39.5 14.7 2.8
2007 557 34.0 16.4 3.5
2008 607 38.9 15.6 5.8
2009 619 40.1 15.4 6.5
2010 482 31.2 15.4 5.4
2011 487 31.1 15.6 4.7
2012 474 30.2 15.6 5.5
2013 478 31.5 15.1 6.7
2014 486 31.3 15.5 6.2
2015 475 31.0 15.3 8
2016 470 35.0 13.4 n/a
2017 470 33.7 13.9 n/a
2018 446 31.1 14.3 n/a
2019 480 33.1 14.4 n/a
2020 495 33.9 14.5 n/a
2021 445 36.1 12.3 n/a
2022 419 36.9 11.3 n/a
2023 403 34.2 11.7 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 Wm L Foster Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 621 n/a n/a n/a
1989 552 n/a n/a n/a
1990 657 n/a n/a n/a
1991 634 n/a n/a n/a
1992 687 n/a n/a n/a
1993 668 n/a 0.0 n/a
1994 698 n/a n/a n/a
1995 745 n/a 0.0 n/a
1996 745 n/a 0.0 n/a
1997 660 n/a 0.0 n/a
1998 657 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 645 n/a 0.0 4.7
2000 591 n/a 0.0 3.6
2001 609 n/a 0.0 3.4
2002 562 n/a n/a 4.1
2003 562 n/a n/a 4.1
2004 576 38.2 15.1 4.7
2005 583 38.8 15.0 4.8
2006 579 39.5 14.7 2.8
2007 557 34.0 16.4 3.5
2008 607 38.9 15.6 5.8
2009 619 40.1 15.4 6.5
2010 482 31.2 15.4 5.4
2011 487 31.1 15.6 4.7
2012 474 30.2 15.6 5.5
2013 478 31.5 15.1 6.7
2014 486 31.3 15.5 6.2
2015 475 31.0 15.3 8
2016 470 35.0 13.4 n/a
2017 470 33.7 13.9 n/a
2018 446 31.1 14.3 n/a
2019 480 33.1 14.4 n/a
2020 495 33.9 14.5 n/a
2021 445 36.1 12.3 n/a
2022 419 36.9 11.3 n/a
2023 403 34.2 11.7 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 Wm L Foster Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $351 (2.5%) $13,466 (97.5%) $13,817
2020 $334 (2.3%) $13,927 (97.7%) $14,261
2021 $539 (3.3%) $15,982 (96.7%) $16,522

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Wm L Foster Elementary

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 10th of 942 Elementary schoolsRanks 50th of 928 Elementary schools
 4.3%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Wm L Foster Elementary)8666.7
 19.3%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Hingham)7975.2
 3.8%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5643.9
 12.1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Wm L Foster Elementary)7461.3
 12.8%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Hingham)7168.7
 2.3%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4941
 8%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Wm L Foster Elementary)8266.1
 15.9%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Hingham)7869
 9%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5239.7
 12.3%
4th Grade Mathematics (Wm L Foster Elementary)8072.6
 7.4%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Hingham)7477.7
 3.7%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4945
 4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Wm L Foster Elementary)8786.5
 0.5%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Hingham)8077.8
 2.2%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5243.8
 8.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Wm L Foster Elementary)9089.2
 0.8%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Hingham)7878.8
 0.8%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4940.9
 8.2%
5th Grade Science (Wm L Foster Elementary)9186.1
 4.9%
   5th Grade Science (Hingham)8279.9
 2.1%
   5th Grade Science (Massachusetts)4841.6
 6.4%
All Grades English Language Arts (Wm L Foster Elementary)8573.4
 11.6%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Hingham)8374.4
 8.6%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5242.3
 9.7%
All Grades Mathematics (Wm L Foster Elementary)8274.1
 7.9%
   All Grades Mathematics (Hingham)7471.1
 2.9%
   All Grades Mathematics (Massachusetts)4940.6
 8.4%
All Grades Science (Wm L Foster Elementary)9186.1
 4.9%
   All Grades Science (Hingham)7970.9
 8.1%
   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 Students480403
 16%
African American24
 100%
American Indian00
Asian107
 30%
Hispanic2715
 44.4%
Pacific Islander01
White422348
 17.5%
Two or More Races1928
 47.4%


Schools Near Wm L Foster Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Wm L Foster Elementary

In the 2022-23 school year, 403 students attended Wm L Foster Elementary.

Yes! Wm L Foster Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 40th of 916 Massachusetts elementary schools.

Students at Wm L Foster Elementary are 86% White, 7% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

Students who attend Wm L Foster Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hingham Middle School
High : Hingham High


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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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