Wales Elementary

Summary:

Wales Elementary is a small public elementary school serving grades PK-6 in the town of Wales, MA, with a student population of just 96 as of the 2022-2023 school year. Despite its small size, the school has faced significant academic challenges in recent years, with a declining statewide ranking and subpar performance on standardized tests compared to state averages.

According to the key insights, Wales Elementary's academic performance, as measured by MCAS Next Generation test scores, is significantly below the state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 21.57% of all Wales students scored proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 39.17%, and just 31.37% scored proficient or better in math, compared to 40.91% statewide. This underperformance has contributed to the school's drop in statewide ranking, from a high of #233 out of 934 Massachusetts elementary schools in 2017-2018 to its current ranking of #654 out of 916 schools.

Interestingly, Wales Elementary's academic struggles do not appear to be primarily driven by high poverty levels, as the school has a relatively low percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, ranking 469 out of 760 MA elementary schools in this category. Additionally, the school has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 10.3 to 13.3 over the past few years, which is lower than the ratios of many nearby schools. When compared to Brimfield Elementary, located just 3.47 miles away, Wales Elementary consistently underperforms on MCAS tests, with Brimfield's students scoring proficient or better in ELA and math at over 60%, compared to Wales' 21-31% proficiency rates.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

 41 Main Street
       Wales, MA  01081-0247


(413) 245-7748

District: Wales

SchoolDigger Rank:
654th of 916 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $17,710 Help


Students who attend Wales Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Tantasqua Regional Junior High
High:    Tantasqua Regional Senior High

Student/teacher ratio:  10.3 Help
Number of students:  96

Racial breakdown:

White:
93.8%
African American:
2.1%
Hispanic:
2.1%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  34.3% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Wales Elementary ranks worse than 71.4% of elementary schools in Massachusetts. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 28.05. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (93.8%), African American (2.1%), Hispanic (2.1%). (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Wales Elementary is 10.3. (See more...)
Help
Compare Wales Elementary employs 9.2 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Wales Elementary is $17,710.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Wales Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Wales Elementary 654th of 916 Massachusetts public elementary schools. (See Wales Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
White students:


Wales:

SchoolDigger ranks Wales 296th of 351 Massachusetts school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Wales Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Wales Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 64.84 352nd 884 60.2%
2004 34.12 618th 882 29.9%
2005 30.65 636th 887 28.3%
2006 54.87 433rd 911 52.5%
2007 53.90 461st 911 49.4%
2008 52.29 477th 908 47.5%
2009 57.77 415th 909 54.3%
2010 65.77 341st 920 62.9%
2011 64.87 354th 924 61.7%
2012 71.03 289th 930 68.9%
2013 69.42 311th 928 66.5%
2014 71.08 270th 926 70.8%
2015 67.08 312th 914 65.9%
2016 65.55 319th 932 65.8%
2017 61.15 375th 938 60.0%
2018 74.80 233rd 934 75.1%
2019 48.54 508th 942 46.1%
2021 65.30 332nd 936 64.5%
2022 48.39 490th 932 47.4%
2023 26.04 683rd 928 26.4%
2024 28.05 654th 916 28.6%
See the entire list of Massachusetts Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Wales Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 50.18 440th 896 50.9%
2021 60.36 282nd 894 68.5%
2022 72.42 183rd 905 79.8%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Wales Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 66.03 184th 700 73.7%
2024 40.08 469th 760 38.3%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Wales Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 54.53 437th 893 51.1%
2019 48.93 496th 902 45.0%
2021 68.49 271st 898 69.8%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Wales Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 86.90 87th 898 90.3%
2019 44.27 531st 907 41.5%
2021 61.13 356th 904 60.6%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Tested In Person students at Wales Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 64.76 333rd 925 64.0%
See the entire list of Best Massachusetts Elementary Schools for Tested In Person Students!

Rank History for White students at Wales Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 62.38 290th 772 62.4%
2019 35.09 561st 780 28.1%
2021 54.67 333rd 765 56.5%
2022 35.91 523rd 764 31.5%
2023 13.34 701st 762 8.0%
2024 10.55 714th 753 5.2%
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.

Wales 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 Wales Elementary

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 185 3 0 0 2 n/a n/a 0 190
1989 216 3 4 0 1 n/a n/a 0 224
1990 215 5 4 0 0 n/a n/a 0 224
1991 229 5 4 0 0 n/a n/a 0 238
1992 228 5 0 1 2 n/a n/a 0 236
1993 197 5 4 2 1 n/a n/a 0 209
1994 204 4 1 0 1 n/a n/a 0 210
1995 205 2 0 0 1 n/a n/a 0 208
1996 205 2 0 0 1 n/a n/a 0 208
1997 203 3 0 0 1 n/a n/a 0 207
1998 217 0 1 2 1 n/a n/a 0 221
1999 170 0 1 1 0 n/a n/a 0 172
2000 204 3 1 1 3 n/a n/a 0 212
2001 193 2 1 0 1 n/a n/a 0 197
2002 154 2 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 156
2003 154 2 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 156
2004 168 5 2 3 0 n/a n/a 0 178
2005 174 5 1 4 0 n/a n/a 0 184
2006 168 1 0 6 2 n/a n/a 3 180
2007 167 0 0 6 0 n/a n/a 5 178
2008 152 0 0 5 0 n/a n/a 8 165
2009 162 0 1 4 0 0 7 0 174
2010 160 0 1 2 0 0 6 0 169
2011 156 0 1 6 0 0 6 0 169
2012 140 0 2 6 0 0 9 0 157
2013 126 1 2 10 1 0 10 0 150
2014 137 2 2 7 1 0 8 0 157
2015 149 2 2 7 0 0 6 0 166
2016 152 1 2 5 2 0 6 0 168
2017 148 1 1 6 2 0 6 0 164
2018 147 2 1 5 1 0 5 0 161
2019 136 3 1 2 1 0 4 0 147
2020 136 3 1 1 1 0 3 0 145
2021 117 2 0 1 1 0 3 0 124
2022 109 2 0 4 2 0 1 0 118
2023 90 2 0 2 1 0 1 0 96

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 Wales Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 190 n/a n/a n/a
1989 224 n/a n/a n/a
1990 224 n/a n/a n/a
1991 238 n/a n/a n/a
1992 236 n/a n/a n/a
1993 209 n/a 0.0 n/a
1994 210 n/a n/a n/a
1995 208 n/a 0.0 n/a
1996 208 n/a 0.0 n/a
1997 207 n/a 0.0 n/a
1998 221 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 172 n/a 0.0 26.7
2000 212 n/a 0.0 13.2
2001 197 n/a 0.0 19.3
2002 156 n/a n/a 31.4
2003 156 n/a n/a 31.4
2004 178 11.4 15.6 28.7
2005 184 12.3 15.0 23.9
2006 180 12.1 14.9 20.9
2007 178 11.0 16.2 19.7
2008 165 12.8 12.9 18.5
2009 174 12.2 14.3 13.8
2010 169 11.3 14.9 27.8
2011 169 10.6 15.8 31.4
2012 157 12.2 12.7 36.3
2013 150 10.6 14.0 36.7
2014 157 11.6 13.4 37.6
2015 166 12.0 13.8 34.3
2016 168 10.0 16.8 n/a
2017 164 10.3 15.8 n/a
2018 161 10.4 15.4 n/a
2019 147 10.4 14.0 n/a
2020 145 10.4 13.9 n/a
2021 124 9.3 13.3 n/a
2022 118 9.2 12.7 n/a
2023 96 9.2 10.3 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 Wales Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 190 n/a n/a n/a
1989 224 n/a n/a n/a
1990 224 n/a n/a n/a
1991 238 n/a n/a n/a
1992 236 n/a n/a n/a
1993 209 n/a 0.0 n/a
1994 210 n/a n/a n/a
1995 208 n/a 0.0 n/a
1996 208 n/a 0.0 n/a
1997 207 n/a 0.0 n/a
1998 221 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 172 n/a 0.0 26.7
2000 212 n/a 0.0 13.2
2001 197 n/a 0.0 19.3
2002 156 n/a n/a 31.4
2003 156 n/a n/a 31.4
2004 178 11.4 15.6 28.7
2005 184 12.3 15.0 23.9
2006 180 12.1 14.9 20.9
2007 178 11.0 16.2 19.7
2008 165 12.8 12.9 18.5
2009 174 12.2 14.3 13.8
2010 169 11.3 14.9 27.8
2011 169 10.6 15.8 31.4
2012 157 12.2 12.7 36.3
2013 150 10.6 14.0 36.7
2014 157 11.6 13.4 37.6
2015 166 12.0 13.8 34.3
2016 168 10.0 16.8 n/a
2017 164 10.3 15.8 n/a
2018 161 10.4 15.4 n/a
2019 147 10.4 14.0 n/a
2020 145 10.4 13.9 n/a
2021 124 9.3 13.3 n/a
2022 118 9.2 12.7 n/a
2023 96 9.2 10.3 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 Wales Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $390 (2.6%) $14,888 (97.4%) $15,278
2020 $505 (3.1%) $15,611 (96.9%) $16,116
2021 $770 (4.3%) $16,940 (95.7%) $17,710

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Wales 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 508th of 942 Elementary schoolsRanks 683rd of 928 Elementary schools
 19.7%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Wales Elementary)5620
 36%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Wales)5620
 36%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5643.9
 12.1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Wales Elementary)3226.7
 5.3%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Wales)3226.7
 5.3%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4941
 8%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Wales Elementary)5620
 36%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Wales)5620
 36%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5239.7
 12.3%
4th Grade Mathematics (Wales Elementary)4430
 14%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Wales)4430
 14%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4945
 4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Wales Elementary)3946.2
 7.2%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Wales)3946.2
 7.2%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5243.8
 8.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Wales Elementary)500
 50%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Wales)500
 50%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)4940.9
 8.2%
5th Grade Science (Wales Elementary)7430.8
 43.2%
   5th Grade Science (Wales)6830.8
 37.2%
   5th Grade Science (Massachusetts)4841.6
 6.4%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Wales Elementary)5028.6
 21.4%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Wales)5028.6
 21.4%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5442.3
 11.7%
6th Grade Mathematics (Wales Elementary)6035.7
 24.3%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Wales)6035.7
 24.3%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)5141
 10%
All Grades English Language Arts (Wales Elementary)4928.9
 20.2%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Wales)4928.9
 20.2%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Massachusetts)5242.3
 9.7%
All Grades Mathematics (Wales Elementary)4623.1
 22.9%
   All Grades Mathematics (Wales)4623.1
 22.9%
   All Grades Mathematics (Massachusetts)4940.6
 8.4%
All Grades Science (Wales Elementary)7430.8
 43.2%
   All Grades Science (Wales)6830.8
 37.2%
   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 Students14796
 34.7%
African American32
 33.3%
American Indian11
Asian10
 100%
Hispanic22
Pacific Islander00
White13690
 33.8%
Two or More Races41
 75%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Wales Elementary

Students at Wales Elementary are 94% White, 2% African American, 2% Hispanic, 1% American Indian, 1% Two or more races.

Wales Elementary ranks 654th of 916 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

In the 2022-23 school year, 96 students attended Wales Elementary.


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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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