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Schools›Massachusetts›East Boston
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BOSTON·NCES 250279000224

McKay K-8 School

122 Cottage Street, East Boston, MA 02128 · (617) 635-8510 · Suffolk County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY11-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL640 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 3% 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.
  • CThree-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

Enrollment
640
Elementary
DISTRICT 360 · STATE 381
Student : Teacher
9.5:1
67 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.2:1 · 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

GradeStudentsShare
Pre-K193%
Kindergarten437%
Grade 1548%
Grade 27011%
Grade 37011%
Grade 47311%
Grade 56911%
Grade 66410%
Grade 79615%
Grade 88213%

This year's kindergarten class (43) is 48% smaller than its 8th grade class (82).

Student demographics
23%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 69% · STATE 65% · US 70%
White
498%
DISTRICT 14% · STATE 51% · US 43%
Hispanic
55987%
DISTRICT 45% · STATE 26% · US 30%
Black
213%
DISTRICT 29% · STATE 10% · US 15%
Asian
61%
DISTRICT 8% · STATE 7% · US 6%
Two+
41%
DISTRICT 4% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Native American
10%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
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
Male
32150%
Female
31950%

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Test scores

MCAS 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding Expectations
English Language Arts
14.0%
MA avg 43.8% . -16.0pp since 2016
Math
9.0%
MA avg 42.2% . -18.0pp since 2016

What this means: On the MCAS, Massachusetts's statewide test, about 14 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 9 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 16 points since 2016, while math scores are down about 18 points.

MCAS results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2514.0%9.0%
2023-2414.0%12.0%
2022-2316.0%9.0%
2021-2218.0%10.0%
2020-2120.0%8.0%
2018-1925.0%22.0%
2017-1835.0%27.0%
2016-1730.0%27.0%
% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

Where McKay K-8 School ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn MassachusettsIn Suffolk County
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
9.0%#891 of 920
▼ 27
#77 of 84
▼ 10
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
14.0%#867 of 920
▼ 9
#67 of 84
▼ 2
3-year test score change
ranked biggest drop first
-2.5pp#256 of 901#18 of 83
Enrollment
ranked largest first
640#98 of 1,086#12 of 94
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
9.5:1#72 of 938#21 of 75
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
23.0%#847 of 938#67 of 75
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-17.7%#164 of 602#20 of 59
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 2024-25
Enrollment
640
-102 (-14%) vs 2020
+59% since 1990-91, when it was 403
Student : Teacher
9.5:1
was 10.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2564067.29.5:1N/A
2023-2467065.610.2:1N/A
2022-2368162.510.9:1N/A
2020-217427010.6:1N/A
2017-1877852.414.8:1N/A
2015-166903917.7:1N/A
2010-116704514.9:195% (639)
2000-01669N/AN/A86% (573)
1990-91403N/AN/AN/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for McKay K-8 School.

Since 2017-18: students down 18% (778 to 640); teachers up 28% (52.4 to 67.2).

About McKay K-8 School

McKay K-8 School is a large elementary school in East Boston, Massachusetts, under Boston. Its 640 students are spread across pre-K through 8. The typical figure for elementary schools in Massachusetts is about 381 students.

The district, Boston, operates 109 schools serving 46,437 students.

McKay K-8 School enrolls a student body that is 87% Hispanic. After that, the student body is 8% White and 3% Black. Census figures show Suffolk County is about 23% Hispanic. McKay K-8 School has a diversity index of 23%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.

Teachers at McKay K-8 School total 67.2 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 9.5:1. The 12.2:1 average for elementary schools in Massachusetts is higher than this school's figure.

Measured against Massachusetts public elementary schools, McKay K-8 School receives an F. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.

Recent Census Bureau figures for Suffolk County show that median household income is about $95,631, roughly 51% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Federal data list 157 public schools in Suffolk County, with a combined enrollment of about 75,679.

The nearest other public school, East Boston Early Education Center, is less than a tenth of a mile away. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of McKay K-8 School.

In the federal locale system, McKay K-8 School is coded City: Large, for schools inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.

McKay K-8 School saw enrollment fall 14% between 2020-21 and 2024-25. By 2024-25, the school had 9.5 students per teacher, compared with 10.6 in 2020-21.

To ask about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater, start a discussion on this page. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.

Suffolk County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
785,121
Census ACS
Median income
$95,631
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
51%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
157
75,679 students

Quick facts

School name
McKay K-8 School
District
Boston
Address
122 Cottage Street, East Boston, MA 02128
Phone
(617) 635-8510
County
Suffolk County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–08
Total enrollment
640
Teachers (FTE)
67
Student–teacher ratio
9.5:1
Locale
11-City: Large
NCES ID
250279000224
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Boston
Other schools in East Boston
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About McKay K-8 School
How large is McKay K-8 School?
McKay K-8 School enrolls approximately 640 students in grades PK-08.
Is McKay K-8 School an elementary, middle, or high school?
McKay K-8 School is an elementary school covering grades PK-08.
How many students per teacher at McKay K-8 School?
Approximately 9.5:1 students per teacher at McKay K-8 School.
What is the student diversity at McKay K-8 School?
Student demographics at McKay K-8 School are roughly 8% White, 87% Hispanic, 3% Black, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more.
What district is McKay K-8 School in?
McKay K-8 School is part of Boston.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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