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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Brightwood?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
456
Elementary
DISTRICT 336 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SPRINGFIELD·NCES 251113001796
Brightwood
255 Plainfield Street, Springfield, MA 01107 · (413) 787-7238 · Hampden County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL456 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 1% of Massachusetts public elementary schools
- FTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ·Beats expectations Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
- C-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Massachusetts public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
31 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.3:1 · STATE 12.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 54 | 12% |
| Kindergarten | 59 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 75 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 55 | 12% |
| Grade 3 | 70 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 73 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 70 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (59) is 16% smaller than its 5th grade class (70).
Student demographics
21%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 49% · STATE 65% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
MCAS 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
8.0%
MA avg 43.8% . -11.0pp since 2016
Math
8.0%
MA avg 42.2% . -10.0pp since 2016
What this means: On the MCAS, Massachusetts's statewide test, about 8 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 8 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Massachusetts schools, those numbers are about 44 and 42. Reading and writing scores are down about 11 points since 2016, while math scores are down about 10 points.
MCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 8.0% | 8.0% |
| 2023-24 | 11.0% | 7.0% |
| 2022-23 | 12.0% | 11.0% |
| 2021-22 | 16.0% | 11.0% |
| 2020-21 | 13.0% | 6.0% |
| 2018-19 | 28.0% | 12.0% |
| 2017-18 | 32.0% | 16.0% |
| 2016-17 | 19.0% | 18.0% |
% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Brightwood ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Massachusetts | In Hampden County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 8.0% | #900 of 920 ▲ 6 | #72 of 78 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 8.0% | #912 of 920 ▼ 19 | #74 of 78 no change |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -5.5pp | #155 of 901 | #8 of 74 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 456 | #327 of 1,086 | #16 of 93 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.5:1 | #831 of 938 | #74 of 78 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 21.2% | #869 of 938 | #76 of 78 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +43.8% | #22 of 317 | #3 of 17 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
456
+114 (+33%) vs 2020
-4% since 1990-91, when it was 474
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
was 11.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 456 | 31.5 | 14.5:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 480 | 31.8 | 15.1:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 471 | 37.1 | 12.7:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 342 | 29 | 11.8:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 317 | 24 | 13.2:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 325 | 28 | 11.6:1 | N/A |
| 2010-11 | 403 | 32 | 12.6:1 | 96% (388) |
| 2000-01 | 475 | N/A | N/A | 91% (430) |
| 1990-91 | 474 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Brightwood.
Since 2017-18: students up 44% (317 to 456); teachers up 31% (24 to 31.5).
About Brightwood
Brightwood is the name of a medium-sized elementary school in Springfield, Massachusetts. Classes run from pre-K through 5, and the school has 456 students.
A total of 66 schools make up Springfield, with 23,670 students enrolled.
About 88% of the student body at Brightwood is Hispanic. Beyond that, enrollment is 8% Black and 2% White. In Hampden County overall, about 27% of residents are Hispanic. Brightwood's diversity index is 21%, against a US figure of 70%.
With 31.5 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, the ratio at Brightwood was 14.5:1. This ratio sits 2.3 above the 12.2:1 average for elementary schools in Massachusetts.
Brightwood is graded F by allk12, scoring above 1% of Massachusetts public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Federal survey data for Hampden County show that the median household income is $71,306, about 29% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 12% of residents are in poverty. Hampden County is home to 168 public schools and about 68,540 public school students.
Of nearby public schools, Lincoln is the closest, at less than a tenth of a mile. Brightwood has at least 8 other public schools within five miles.
In the federal locale system, Brightwood is coded City: Mid-size, for schools inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Enrollment climbed 33% from its 2020-21 level of 342. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 11.8:1 in 2020-21 to 14.5:1 in 2024-25.
Discussion on this page can cover school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Hampden County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
462,815
Census ACS
Median income
$71,306
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
29%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
12%
Below federal line
Schools in county
168
68,540 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Springfield
- Springfield Central HighHigh · 1,983 students
- Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical AcademyHigh · 1,382 students
- Springfield High School of Science and TechnologyHigh · 1,091 students
- High School Of CommerceHigh · 966 students
- John J Duggan AcademyHigh · 823 students
- German Gerena Community SchoolElementary · 621 students
Other schools in Springfield
- Springfield Central HighHigh · 1,983 students
- Springfield International Charter SchoolCombined · 1,511 students
- Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical AcademyHigh · 1,382 students
- Springfield High School of Science and TechnologyHigh · 1,091 students
- High School Of CommerceHigh · 966 students
- John J Duggan AcademyHigh · 823 students
Nearby schools
- Lincoln0.0 mi · 431
- Impact Prep at Chestnut0.2 mi · 278
- Chestnut Accelerated Middle School (Talented and Gifted)0.2 mi · 265
- Springfield Legacy Academy0.2 mi · 299
- German Gerena Community School0.3 mi · 621
- Springfield Middle School0.4 mi · 18
Frequently asked questions
About BrightwoodWhat is the total enrollment at Brightwood?
Brightwood enrolls approximately 456 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Brightwood serve?
Brightwood serves grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at Brightwood?
Approximately 14.5:1 students per teacher at Brightwood.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Brightwood?
At Brightwood, the student body is approximately 2% White, 88% Hispanic, 8% Black, 0% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Who oversees Brightwood?
Brightwood is overseen by Springfield in Hampden County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.