1
What do you wish you knew before starting at Old Mill Pond?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
677
Elementary
DISTRICT 547 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PALMER·NCES 250930002594
Old Mill Pond
4107 Main Street, Palmer, MA 01069 · (413) 283-4300 · Hampden County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL677 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
13.0:1
52 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.9:1 · 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 | 67 | 10% |
| Kindergarten | 83 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 88 | 13% |
| Grade 2 | 91 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 88 | 13% |
| Grade 4 | 104 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 66 | 10% |
| Grade 6 | 90 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (83) is 8% smaller than its 6th grade class (90).
Student demographics
41%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 44% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Old Mill Pond→Palmer High
Based on grade levels within Palmer. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MCAS 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
23.0%
MA avg 43.8% . -22.0pp since 2016
Math
28.0%
MA avg 42.2% . -8.0pp 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 28 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 22 points since 2016, while math scores are down about 8 points.
MCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 23.0% | 28.0% |
| 2023-24 | 23.0% | 35.0% |
| 2022-23 | 32.0% | 31.0% |
| 2021-22 | 29.0% | 26.0% |
| 2020-21 | 34.0% | 23.0% |
| 2018-19 | 40.0% | 21.0% |
| 2017-18 | 55.0% | 30.0% |
| 2016-17 | 45.0% | 36.0% |
% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Old Mill Pond ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Massachusetts | In Hampden County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 28.0% | #688 of 920 ▼ 96 | #42 of 78 ▼ 10 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 23.0% | #767 of 920 ▼ 40 | #55 of 78 ▼ 9 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -2.0pp | #291 of 901 | #14 of 74 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 677 | #76 of 1,086 | #3 of 93 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.0:1 | #625 of 938 | #60 of 78 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 41.5% | #630 of 938 | #48 of 78 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -1.5% | #564 of 602 | #63 of 65 |
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
677
+89 (+15%) vs 2020
-29% since 2000-01, when it was 950
Student : Teacher
13.0:1
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 | 677 | 52.1 | 13.0:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 576 | 49 | 11.8:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 599 | 53 | 11.3:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 588 | 50 | 11.8:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 687 | 57 | 12.1:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 565 | 46 | 12.3:1 | N/A |
| 2010-11 | 657 | 44 | 14.9:1 | 34% (224) |
| 2000-01 | 950 | N/A | N/A | 28% (263) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Old Mill Pond.
Since 2017-18: students down 1% (687 to 677); teachers down 9% (57 to 52.1).
About Old Mill Pond
Old Mill Pond is an elementary school located in Palmer, Massachusetts, in Hampden County. It covers pre-K through 6, with a total enrollment of 677 students. Enrollment is 78% higher than the average for elementary schools in Massachusetts, which is about 381.
Palmer includes 2 schools. Together they enroll 1,093 students.
At Old Mill Pond, White students make up 75% of the student body. The remaining shares are 16% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, and 3% Black. Hampden County as a whole is about 64% White, so the school's share is higher. Old Mill Pond's diversity index is 41%, against a US figure of 70%.
The school has about 13.0 students per teacher and 52.1 full-time-equivalent teachers. The school has more students per teacher than the 12.2:1 average for elementary schools in Massachusetts.
Among Hampden County residents, the median household income is $71,306, about 29% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 12%. Besides Old Mill Pond, Hampden County has 167 other public schools.
The closest public school, Palmer High, is about 0.1 miles from Old Mill Pond. There are 3 other public schools within five miles.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is Suburb: Large.
Enrollment has grown by 89 students since 2020-21, to 677. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio rose from 11.8:1 to 13.0:1.
Topics for discussion here include science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
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 Palmer
- Pathfinder Vocational TechnicalHigh · 660 students
- Palmer HighHigh · 416 students
Nearby schools
- Palmer High0.1 mi · 416
- Pathfinder Vocational Technical0.5 mi · 660
- Monson High School4.9 mi · 280
- Quarry Hill Community School5.0 mi · 120
- Granite Valley School5.2 mi · 400
- Ware Junior/Senior High School6.0 mi · 425
Frequently asked questions
About Old Mill PondHow large is Old Mill Pond?
Old Mill Pond enrolls approximately 677 students in grades PK-06.
What age range does Old Mill Pond serve?
Old Mill Pond serves students from grade PK through grade 06.
How many students per teacher at Old Mill Pond?
Approximately 13.0:1 students per teacher at Old Mill Pond.
What is the student diversity at Old Mill Pond?
Student demographics at Old Mill Pond are roughly 75% White, 16% Hispanic, 3% Black, 1% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Who oversees Old Mill Pond?
Old Mill Pond is overseen by Palmer in Hampden County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.