Dawson

Summary:

Dawson is an elementary school located in Holden, MA, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 499 students. It is part of the Wachusett school district, which is ranked 91 out of 351 districts in Massachusetts and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Dawson consistently outperforms the Wachusett district and the state of Massachusetts in MCAS Next Generation assessments across all grades and subjects, particularly in mathematics and science. The school's performance is also noteworthy in supporting its special education and low socioeconomic status (SES) students, ranking among the top schools in the state for these subgroups. Dawson has maintained a consistent high ranking, placing in the top 20% of Massachusetts elementary schools with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Dawson has a relatively homogeneous student population, with a higher percentage of White students compared to the state average, it outperforms the nearby Davis Hill Elementary and Leroy E. Mayo schools, which are also part of the Wachusett district. The nearby schools in the Worcester district, such as Flagg Street, West Tatnuck, and Norrback Avenue, generally perform significantly lower than Dawson across all academic measures.


Detail:

Public K-5

 155 Salisbury Street
       Holden, MA  01520-1499


(508) 829-6828

District: Wachusett

SchoolDigger Rank:
188th of 916 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $13,212 Help


Students who attend Dawson usually attend:

Middle:    Mountview Middle
High:    Wachusett Regional High

Student/teacher ratio:  15.3 Help
Number of students:  499

Racial breakdown:

White:
79.2%
Hispanic:
8.0%
Asian:
4.6%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  14% Help


 See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Dawson ranks better than 79.5% of elementary schools in Massachusetts. It also ranks first among 7 ranked elementary schools in the Wachusett School District! (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 79.58. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Dawson has the largest elementary school student body size in the Wachusett School District. Racial makeup is: White (79.2%), Hispanic (8%), Asian (4.6%). (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Dawson is 15.3. 5 elementary schools in the Wachusett School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Dawson employs 32.5 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Dawson is $13,212, which is the lowest among 8 elementary schools in the Wachusett School District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Dawson:

SchoolDigger ranks Dawson 188th of 916 Massachusetts public elementary schools. (See Dawson in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


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


Wachusett:

SchoolDigger ranks Wachusett 91st of 351 Massachusetts school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Dawson

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Rank History for all students at Dawson

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 81.99 147th 884 83.4%
2004 77.12 203rd 882 77.0%
2005 77.87 204th 887 77.0%
2006 80.68 162nd 911 82.2%
2007 81.39 151st 911 83.4%
2008 84.54 111th 908 87.8%
2009 85.64 96th 909 89.4%
2010 83.66 134th 920 85.4%
2011 86.79 81st 924 91.2%
2012 90.54 42nd 930 95.5%
2013 91.08 26th 928 97.2%
2014 88.35 60th 926 93.5%
2015 87.29 71st 914 92.2%
2016 84.97 112th 932 88.0%
2017 85.90 103rd 938 89.0%
2018 79.36 177th 934 81.0%
2019 81.12 159th 942 83.1%
2021 79.81 186th 936 80.1%
2022 81.39 166th 932 82.2%
2023 82.24 161st 928 82.7%
2024 79.58 188th 916 79.5%
See the entire list of Massachusetts Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Dawson

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 91.19 31st 886 96.5%
2019 80.49 98th 896 89.1%
2021 86.30 73rd 894 91.8%
2022 85.09 79th 905 91.3%
2023 97.92 7th 703 99.0%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Dawson

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 56.44 277th 700 60.4%
2021 89.75 23rd 705 96.7%
2022 72.88 137th 772 82.3%
2023 88.33 39th 757 94.8%
2024 67.88 170th 760 77.6%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Dawson

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 74.34 213th 893 76.1%
2019 77.21 187th 902 79.3%
2021 75.02 214th 898 76.2%
2022 73.11 227th 901 74.8%
2023 73.23 236th 887 73.4%
2024 80.87 160th 886 81.9%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Dawson

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 95.08 10th 656 98.5%
2019 89.62 30th 665 95.5%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Dawson

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 81.54 138th 898 84.6%
2019 81.36 143rd 907 84.2%
2021 80.43 168th 904 81.4%
2022 83.85 121st 908 86.7%
2023 85.52 110th 896 87.7%
2024 73.81 230th 891 74.2%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Tested In Person students at Dawson

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 78.07 194th 925 79.0%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Tested In Person Students!

Rank History for White students at Dawson

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 71.34 200th 772 74.1%
2019 74.33 168th 780 78.5%
2021 70.26 202nd 765 73.6%
2022 69.76 199th 764 74.0%
2023 72.17 179th 762 76.5%
2024 67.93 230th 753 69.5%
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.

Dawson 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 Dawson

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1995 552 4 7 1 1 n/a n/a 0 565
1996 552 4 7 1 1 n/a n/a 0 565
1997 542 5 6 1 0 n/a n/a 0 554
1998 532 2 7 1 0 n/a n/a 0 542
1999 520 4 8 0 0 n/a n/a 0 532
2000 239 1 2 1 0 n/a n/a 0 243
2001 447 2 9 2 0 n/a n/a 0 460
2002 455 2 7 1 0 n/a n/a 0 465
2003 455 2 7 1 0 n/a n/a 0 465
2004 482 1 10 2 0 n/a n/a 0 495
2005 460 2 20 0 1 n/a n/a 0 483
2006 478 2 15 4 1 n/a n/a 10 510
2007 496 1 12 8 0 n/a n/a 9 526
2008 495 5 14 14 0 n/a n/a 11 539
2009 553 4 15 18 0 1 16 0 607
2010 541 6 18 26 0 1 16 0 608
2011 512 6 21 29 0 2 18 0 588
2012 399 8 17 22 0 0 20 0 466
2013 397 8 23 21 0 0 20 0 469
2014 391 14 22 22 0 0 17 0 466
2015 412 17 21 17 0 0 11 0 478
2016 431 13 21 22 0 0 13 0 500
2017 432 15 22 23 0 0 15 0 507
2018 394 11 18 23 0 0 14 0 460
2019 403 20 22 23 0 0 11 0 479
2020 419 22 25 31 0 0 13 0 510
2021 362 15 24 31 0 0 13 0 445
2022 394 14 24 34 0 1 21 0 488
2023 395 17 23 40 1 1 22 0 499

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 Dawson

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1995 565 n/a 0.0 n/a
1996 565 n/a 0.0 n/a
1997 554 n/a 0.0 n/a
1998 542 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 532 n/a 0.0 0
2000 243 n/a 0.0 2.9
2001 460 n/a 0.0 2.8
2002 465 n/a n/a 3.2
2003 465 n/a n/a 3.2
2004 495 32.0 15.5 3.6
2005 483 31.0 15.6 3.5
2006 510 32.8 15.5 3
2007 526 33.0 15.9 3.9
2008 539 31.9 16.9 3.8
2009 607 33.0 18.4 2.3
2010 608 31.5 19.2 1.5
2011 588 32.4 18.1 2.2
2012 466 26.7 17.4 5.2
2013 469 25.6 18.3 7.9
2014 466 26.0 17.9 5.4
2015 478 27.0 17.7 14
2016 500 29.0 17.2 n/a
2017 507 30.9 16.3 n/a
2018 460 29.9 15.3 n/a
2019 479 29.9 15.9 n/a
2020 510 26.0 19.6 n/a
2021 445 28.0 15.8 n/a
2022 488 31.3 15.5 n/a
2023 499 32.5 15.3 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 Dawson

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1995 565 n/a 0.0 n/a
1996 565 n/a 0.0 n/a
1997 554 n/a 0.0 n/a
1998 542 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 532 n/a 0.0 0
2000 243 n/a 0.0 2.9
2001 460 n/a 0.0 2.8
2002 465 n/a n/a 3.2
2003 465 n/a n/a 3.2
2004 495 32.0 15.5 3.6
2005 483 31.0 15.6 3.5
2006 510 32.8 15.5 3
2007 526 33.0 15.9 3.9
2008 539 31.9 16.9 3.8
2009 607 33.0 18.4 2.3
2010 608 31.5 19.2 1.5
2011 588 32.4 18.1 2.2
2012 466 26.7 17.4 5.2
2013 469 25.6 18.3 7.9
2014 466 26.0 17.9 5.4
2015 478 27.0 17.7 14
2016 500 29.0 17.2 n/a
2017 507 30.9 16.3 n/a
2018 460 29.9 15.3 n/a
2019 479 29.9 15.9 n/a
2020 510 26.0 19.6 n/a
2021 445 28.0 15.8 n/a
2022 488 31.3 15.5 n/a
2023 499 32.5 15.3 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 Dawson

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $77 (0.6%) $12,010 (99.4%) $12,087
2020 $360 (2.1%) $16,845 (97.9%) $17,206
2021 $438 (3.3%) $12,774 (96.7%) $13,212

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Dawson

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 159th of 942 Elementary schoolsRanks 161st of 928 Elementary schools
 0.5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Dawson)7664.4
 11.6%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Wachusett)7255.2
 16.8%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5643.9
 12.1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Dawson)7265.8
 6.3%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Wachusett)6247
 15%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4941
 8%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Dawson)6350
 13%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Wachusett)6446.8
 17.2%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5239.7
 12.3%
4th Grade Mathematics (Dawson)6365.6
 2.6%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Wachusett)6153.6
 7.4%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4945
 4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Dawson)7264
 8%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Wachusett)5856.7
 1.3%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5243.8
 8.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Dawson)7064
 6%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Wachusett)6459.2
 4.8%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4940.9
 8.2%
5th Grade Science (Dawson)6458.7
 5.3%
   5th Grade Science (Wachusett)6256.7
 5.3%
   5th Grade Science (Massachusetts)4841.6
 6.4%
All Grades English Language Arts (Dawson)7058.8
 11.2%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Wachusett)6854.5
 13.5%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5242.3
 9.7%
All Grades Mathematics (Dawson)6865.1
 2.9%
   All Grades Mathematics (Wachusett)6454.1
 9.9%
   All Grades Mathematics (Massachusetts)4940.6
 8.4%
All Grades Science (Dawson)6458.7
 5.3%
   All Grades Science (Wachusett)6758.1
 8.9%
   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 Students479499
 4.2%
African American2017
 15%
American Indian01
Asian2223
 4.5%
Hispanic2340
 73.9%
Pacific Islander01
White403395
 2%
Two or More Races1122
 100%


Schools Near Dawson









Frequently Asked Questions about Dawson

Students who attend Dawson usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mountview Middle
High : Wachusett Regional High

Dawson ranks 188th of 916 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Dawson are 79% White, 8% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 4% Two or more races, 3% African American.

In the 2022-23 school year, 499 students attended Dawson.


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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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