Birch Meadow

Summary:

Birch Meadow is an elementary school located in Reading, Massachusetts, serving students from kindergarten to 5th grade. With a student population of 358, Birch Meadow has consistently been ranked in the top 30% of Massachusetts elementary schools over the past decade, currently ranking 185 out of 916 schools for the 2023-2024 school year.

Birch Meadow's academic performance is particularly strong, with proficiency rates that consistently outperform the state average in MCAS Next Generation assessments for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science across all grade levels. In 2023-2024, the school's proficiency rates were 57.75% in ELA, 59.36% in Math, and 68.42% in Science, compared to the state averages of 39.17%, 40.91%, and 41.95%, respectively. The school's performance is especially noteworthy in 5th grade, where proficiency rates were 68.97% in ELA, 65.52% in Math, and 68.42% in Science.

Birch Meadow's student-teacher ratio is relatively low, ranging from 9.9 to 10.3 over the past three school years, and the school's per-student spending has increased from $14,862 in 2018-2019 to $17,870 in 2020-2021, which is higher than the nearby Reading School District elementary schools. While Birch Meadow's academic performance is generally on par with or slightly higher than the nearby schools in the Reading School District, the nearby schools in the North Reading School District, particularly L.D. Batchelder and E. Ethel Little School, consistently outperform Birch Meadow and the state average across all subject areas and grade levels.


Detail:

Public K-5

 27 A B Lord Dr
       Reading, MA  01867


(781) 944-2335

District: Reading

SchoolDigger Rank:
185th of 916 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $17,870 Help


Students who attend Birch Meadow usually attend:

Middle:    Arthur W Coolidge Middle
High:    Reading Memorial High

Student/teacher ratio:  11.3 Help
Number of students:  371

Racial breakdown:

White:
83.6%
Asian:
4.9%
Two or more races:
4.6%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  6.2% Help


 See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

 Compare Birch Meadow to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Birch Meadow ranks better than 79.8% of elementary schools in Massachusetts. It also ranks 4th among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Reading School District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 79.95. (See more...)
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (83.6%), Asian (4.9%), two or more races (4.6%). (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Birch Meadow is 11.3, which is the lowest among 6 elementary schools in the Reading School District! (See more...)
Help
Compare Birch Meadow employs 32.7 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Birch Meadow is $17,870, which is the 2nd highest among 5 elementary schools in the Reading School District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Birch Meadow:

SchoolDigger ranks Birch Meadow 185th of 916 Massachusetts public elementary schools. (See Birch Meadow in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


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


Reading:

SchoolDigger ranks Reading 42nd of 351 Massachusetts school districts. (See district ranking list.)


What do you think?

Your rating for Birch Meadow?

Rank History for Birch Meadow

Help
Compare

Rank History for all students at Birch Meadow

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 83.92 122nd 884 86.2%
2004 77.55 198th 882 77.6%
2005 80.38 171st 887 80.7%
2006 77.80 193rd 911 78.8%
2007 79.40 176th 911 80.7%
2008 56.12 422nd 908 53.5%
2009 56.31 432nd 909 52.5%
2010 65.69 342nd 920 62.8%
2011 69.11 308th 924 66.7%
2012 66.31 351st 930 62.3%
2013 74.44 242nd 928 73.9%
2014 66.65 322nd 926 65.2%
2015 71.06 270th 914 70.5%
2016 77.76 196th 932 79.0%
2017 66.65 311th 938 66.8%
2018 78.90 180th 934 80.7%
2019 74.72 235th 942 75.1%
2021 72.51 258th 936 72.4%
2022 74.41 230th 932 75.3%
2023 68.13 295th 928 68.2%
2024 79.95 185th 916 79.8%
See the entire list of Massachusetts Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Birch Meadow

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 63.43 253rd 886 71.4%
2019 58.24 324th 896 63.8%
2021 65.98 216th 894 75.8%
2022 59.43 304th 905 66.4%
2023 67.66 169th 703 76.0%
2024 75.68 121st 731 83.4%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Female students at Birch Meadow

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 75.91 192nd 893 78.5%
2019 70.22 250th 902 72.3%
2021 70.66 252nd 898 71.9%
2022 76.33 204th 901 77.4%
2023 63.49 335th 887 62.2%
2024 72.79 234th 886 73.6%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Birch Meadow

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 88.48 34th 656 94.8%
2019 79.86 87th 665 86.9%
2021 67.46 152nd 632 75.9%
2022 75.25 104th 672 84.5%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Birch Meadow

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 79.76 157th 898 82.5%
2019 75.41 209th 907 77.0%
2021 71.69 253rd 904 72.0%
2022 69.25 277th 908 69.5%
2023 70.36 264th 896 70.5%
2024 82.35 136th 891 84.7%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Tested In Person students at Birch Meadow

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 72.71 254th 925 72.5%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Tested In Person Students!

Rank History for White students at Birch Meadow

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 69.13 222nd 772 71.2%
2019 63.90 271st 780 65.3%
2021 62.03 273rd 765 64.3%
2022 62.56 268th 764 64.9%
2023 57.86 315th 762 58.7%
2024 71.82 191st 753 74.6%
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.

Birch Meadow Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

We're sorry, but no reviews have been submitted for Birch Meadow.

If you have first-hand knowledge about Birch Meadow, submit a rating!


Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!


Enrollment information for Birch Meadow

Help
Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 369 21 2 0 0 n/a n/a 0 392
1989 374 18 0 2 0 n/a n/a 0 394
1990 412 13 1 0 0 n/a n/a 0 426
1991 407 4 3 0 0 n/a n/a 0 414
1992 377 2 1 0 0 n/a n/a 0 380
1993 458 1 2 0 0 n/a n/a 0 461
1994 486 1 7 0 0 n/a n/a 0 494
1995 563 12 11 1 0 n/a n/a 0 587
1996 563 12 11 1 0 n/a n/a 0 587
1997 562 7 23 3 0 n/a n/a 0 595
1998 536 10 17 1 0 n/a n/a 0 564
1999 510 8 13 3 0 n/a n/a 0 534
2000 514 6 11 2 0 n/a n/a 0 533
2001 480 6 9 0 0 n/a n/a 0 495
2002 525 1 11 1 1 n/a n/a 0 539
2003 525 1 11 1 1 n/a n/a 0 539
2004 501 3 20 1 2 n/a n/a 0 527
2005 504 2 20 3 3 n/a n/a 0 532
2006 325 0 19 3 1 n/a n/a 2 350
2007 334 5 19 2 1 n/a n/a 2 363
2008 387 4 21 3 0 n/a n/a 3 418
2009 376 10 28 6 0 0 2 0 422
2010 368 9 28 6 0 0 1 0 412
2011 385 5 24 3 0 0 2 0 419
2012 376 7 19 7 0 0 3 0 412
2013 358 5 17 5 0 0 8 0 393
2014 355 4 11 6 1 0 7 0 384
2015 359 3 8 5 0 0 12 0 387
2016 357 5 6 5 1 0 13 0 387
2017 351 6 8 4 1 0 13 0 383
2018 339 4 14 3 0 0 10 0 370
2019 338 5 17 9 0 0 8 0 377
2020 342 8 15 12 0 0 7 0 384
2021 301 10 16 10 0 0 8 0 345
2022 289 9 17 12 0 0 10 0 337
2023 305 13 17 12 0 0 11 0 358
2024 310 13 18 13 0 0 17 0 371

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 Birch Meadow

Help
Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 392 n/a n/a n/a
1989 394 n/a n/a n/a
1990 426 n/a n/a n/a
1991 414 n/a n/a n/a
1992 380 n/a n/a n/a
1993 461 n/a 0.0 n/a
1994 494 n/a n/a n/a
1995 587 n/a 0.0 n/a
1996 587 n/a 0.0 n/a
1997 595 n/a 0.0 n/a
1998 564 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 534 n/a 0.0 2.6
2000 533 n/a 0.0 1.7
2001 495 n/a 0.0 2.2
2002 539 n/a n/a 1.3
2003 539 n/a n/a 1.3
2004 527 30.9 17.1 1.3
2005 532 33.8 15.7 0.8
2006 350 28.6 12.2 1.7
2007 363 28.0 13.0 1.1
2008 418 22.7 18.4 3.4
2009 422 23.8 17.7 3.6
2010 412 22.8 18.0 4.1
2011 419 23.4 17.8 4.1
2012 412 24.2 16.9 3.9
2013 393 24.5 15.9 3.6
2014 384 27.9 13.7 3.6
2015 387 29.0 13.3 6.2
2016 387 30.0 12.9 n/a
2017 383 31.5 12.1 n/a
2018 370 30.5 12.1 n/a
2019 377 31.5 11.9 n/a
2020 384 31.9 12.0 n/a
2021 345 34.0 10.1 n/a
2022 337 33.9 9.9 n/a
2023 358 34.7 10.3 n/a
2024 371 32.7 11.3 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 Birch Meadow

Help
Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 392 n/a n/a n/a
1989 394 n/a n/a n/a
1990 426 n/a n/a n/a
1991 414 n/a n/a n/a
1992 380 n/a n/a n/a
1993 461 n/a 0.0 n/a
1994 494 n/a n/a n/a
1995 587 n/a 0.0 n/a
1996 587 n/a 0.0 n/a
1997 595 n/a 0.0 n/a
1998 564 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 534 n/a 0.0 2.6
2000 533 n/a 0.0 1.7
2001 495 n/a 0.0 2.2
2002 539 n/a n/a 1.3
2003 539 n/a n/a 1.3
2004 527 30.9 17.1 1.3
2005 532 33.8 15.7 0.8
2006 350 28.6 12.2 1.7
2007 363 28.0 13.0 1.1
2008 418 22.7 18.4 3.4
2009 422 23.8 17.7 3.6
2010 412 22.8 18.0 4.1
2011 419 23.4 17.8 4.1
2012 412 24.2 16.9 3.9
2013 393 24.5 15.9 3.6
2014 384 27.9 13.7 3.6
2015 387 29.0 13.3 6.2
2016 387 30.0 12.9 n/a
2017 383 31.5 12.1 n/a
2018 370 30.5 12.1 n/a
2019 377 31.5 11.9 n/a
2020 384 31.9 12.0 n/a
2021 345 34.0 10.1 n/a
2022 337 33.9 9.9 n/a
2023 358 34.7 10.3 n/a
2024 371 32.7 11.3 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 Birch Meadow

Help

YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $506 (3.4%) $14,356 (96.6%) $14,862
2020 $461 (3.0%) $14,719 (97.0%) $15,180
2021 $744 (4.2%) $17,126 (95.8%) $17,870

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Birch Meadow

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 235th of 942 Elementary schoolsRanks 295th of 928 Elementary schools
 6.8%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Birch Meadow)7840.3
 37.7%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Reading)7350.8
 22.3%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5643.9
 12.1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Birch Meadow)7435.1
 38.9%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Reading)6551
 14%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4941
 8%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Birch Meadow)5963.8
 4.8%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Reading)6263.4
 1.4%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5239.7
 12.3%
4th Grade Mathematics (Birch Meadow)5470.7
 16.7%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Reading)5965.4
 6.4%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4945
 4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Birch Meadow)6257.9
 4.1%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Reading)6268.4
 6.3%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5243.8
 8.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Birch Meadow)6159.7
 1.3%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Reading)6561.3
 3.7%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4940.9
 8.2%
5th Grade Science (Birch Meadow)6758.9
 8.1%
   5th Grade Science (Reading)7063.4
 6.6%
   5th Grade Science (Massachusetts)4841.6
 6.4%
All Grades English Language Arts (Birch Meadow)6652.6
 13.4%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Reading)6860.6
 7.4%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5242.3
 9.7%
All Grades Mathematics (Birch Meadow)6353.1
 9.9%
   All Grades Mathematics (Reading)6455
 9%
   All Grades Mathematics (Massachusetts)4940.6
 8.4%
All Grades Science (Birch Meadow)6758.9
 8.1%
   All Grades Science (Reading)6762.9
 4.1%
   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 Students377358
 5%
African American513
 160%
American Indian00
Asian1717
Hispanic912
 33.3%
Pacific Islander00
White338305
 9.8%
Two or More Races811
 37.5%


Schools Near Birch Meadow









Frequently Asked Questions about Birch Meadow

Students who attend Birch Meadow usually go on to attend:

Middle : Arthur W Coolidge Middle
High : Reading Memorial High

In the 2023-24 school year, 371 students attended Birch Meadow.

Students at Birch Meadow are 84% White, 5% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 4% African American, 4% Hispanic.

Birch Meadow ranks 185th of 916 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.


Rate Birch Meadow!



Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Birch Meadow!




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.





Diagnostics

None retrieved from Database in 597 milliseconds.