Enrollment
281
Elementary
DISTRICT 415 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LAWRENCE·NCES 250666002477
John K Tarbox
59 Alder Street, Lawrence, MA 01841 · (978) 975-5983 · Essex County
GRADES 01–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL281 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
11.5:1
25 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.8:1 · STATE 12.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
Community
0
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | 58 | 21% |
| Grade 2 | 57 | 20% |
| Grade 3 | 50 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 64 | 23% |
| Grade 5 | 52 | 19% |
This year's 1st grade class (58) is 12% larger than its 5th grade class (52).
Student demographics
4%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 10% · 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
23.0%
MA avg 43.8% . -3.0pp since 2016
Math
23.0%
MA avg 42.2% . -21.0pp since 2016
What this means: On the MCAS, Massachusetts's statewide test, about 23 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 23 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 3 points since 2016, while math scores are down about 21 points.
MCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 23.0% | 23.0% |
| 2023-24 | 20.0% | 32.0% |
| 2022-23 | 22.0% | 24.0% |
| 2021-22 | 15.0% | 22.0% |
| 2020-21 | 18.0% | 11.0% |
| 2018-19 | 33.0% | 37.0% |
| 2017-18 | 31.0% | 35.0% |
| 2016-17 | 26.0% | 44.0% |
% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where John K Tarbox ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Massachusetts | In Essex County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 23.0% | #747 of 920 ▼ 113 | #85 of 111 ▼ 13 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 23.0% | #765 of 920 ▲ 13 | #92 of 111 ▼ 3 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +4.5pp | #256 of 901 | #34 of 107 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 281 | #769 of 1,086 | #98 of 129 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.5:1 | #328 of 938 | #44 of 115 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 4.2% | #937 of 938 | #114 of 115 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -14.1% | #227 of 602 | #22 of 67 |
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
281
-1 (0%) vs 2020
-39% since 1990-91, when it was 457
Student : Teacher
11.5:1
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 | 281 | 24.5 | 11.5:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 274 | 25.5 | 10.8:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 275 | 24 | 11.5:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 282 | 24 | 11.8:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 327 | 21.8 | 15.0:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 341 | 23 | 14.8:1 | N/A |
| 2010-11 | 284 | 25 | 11.4:1 | 89% (252) |
| 2000-01 | 411 | N/A | N/A | 86% (355) |
| 1990-91 | 457 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for John K Tarbox.
Since 2017-18: students down 14% (327 to 281); teachers up 13% (21.8 to 24.5).
About John K Tarbox
Federal records list John K Tarbox as an elementary school in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Enrollment is 281 students in 2024-25, and the school serves grades 1 through 5. The average for elementary schools in Massachusetts is about 381 students, so this school is 26% smaller than average.
The district for John K Tarbox is Lawrence, with 26 schools and 13,313 students.
The student body at John K Tarbox is 98% Hispanic. Among all residents of Essex County, the Hispanic share is about 24%. John K Tarbox's diversity index is 4%, against a US figure of 70%.
John K Tarbox operates with 24.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, a ratio of about 11.5:1. That matches the 12.2:1 average for elementary schools in Massachusetts fairly closely.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Essex County show that the median household income is $101,883, about 43% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 7%. Besides John K Tarbox, Essex County has 220 other public schools.
The school nearest to John K Tarbox is Arlington Middle School, at a distance of about 0.2 miles. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is Suburb: Large.
Enrollment at John K Tarbox was 282 in 2020-21 and 281 in 2024-25, a change of less than 3%.
Families, students, and staff can use this page to discuss school safety, transportation, and start times at John K Tarbox. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Essex County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
813,054
Census ACS
Median income
$101,883
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
43%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
221
113,427 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Lawrence
- Lawrence High SchoolHigh · 3,453 students
- South Lawrence East Elementary SchoolElementary · 666 students
- Edward F. ParthumElementary · 656 students
- Parthum Middle SchoolMiddle · 585 students
- Robert FrostElementary · 568 students
- Arlington ElementaryElementary · 558 students
Other schools in Lawrence
- Lawrence High SchoolHigh · 3,453 students
- Community Day Charter Public SchoolElementary · 1,200 students
- Lawrence Family Development Charter SchoolElementary · 899 students
- South Lawrence East Elementary SchoolElementary · 666 students
- Edward F. ParthumElementary · 656 students
- Parthum Middle SchoolMiddle · 585 students
Nearby schools
- Arlington Middle School0.2 mi · 543
- Arlington Elementary0.2 mi · 558
- Lawlor Early Childhood Center0.3 mi · 205
- RISE Academy0.4 mi · 74
- Oliver Elementary School0.5 mi · 469
- School for Exceptional Studies0.6 mi · 118
Frequently asked questions
About John K TarboxWhat is the total enrollment at John K Tarbox?
John K Tarbox enrolls approximately 281 students in grades 01-05.
What grades does John K Tarbox serve?
John K Tarbox serves grades 01-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John K Tarbox?
The student-to-teacher ratio at John K Tarbox is approximately 11.5:1 (25 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at John K Tarbox?
Student demographics at John K Tarbox are roughly 2% White, 98% Hispanic, 0% Two or more.
Is John K Tarbox public or private?
John K Tarbox is a public K-12 school, overseen by Lawrence.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.