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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Paxton Center?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
448
Elementary
DISTRICT 375 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WACHUSETT·NCES 251188001492
Paxton Center
19 West Street, Paxton, MA 01612 · (508) 798-8576 · Worcester County
GRADES KG–08ELEMENTARY41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL448 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 74% of Massachusetts public elementary schools
- B+Test 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.
- AThree-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
12.8:1
35 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.5:1 · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 58 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 38 | 8% |
| Grade 2 | 57 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 43 | 10% |
| Grade 4 | 49 | 11% |
| Grade 5 | 54 | 12% |
| Grade 6 | 50 | 11% |
| Grade 7 | 43 | 10% |
| Grade 8 | 56 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (58) is about the same size as its 8th grade class (56).
Student demographics
31%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 33% · 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
Paxton Center→Wachusett Regional High
Based on grade levels within Wachusett. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MCAS 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
47.0%
MA avg 43.8% . -19.0pp since 2016
Math
54.0%
MA avg 42.2% . -8.0pp since 2016
What this means: On the MCAS, Massachusetts's statewide test, about 47 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 54 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 19 points since 2016, while math scores are down about 8 points.
MCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 47.0% | 54.0% |
| 2023-24 | 43.0% | 50.0% |
| 2022-23 | 47.0% | 46.0% |
| 2021-22 | 45.0% | 41.0% |
| 2020-21 | 48.0% | 31.0% |
| 2018-19 | 58.0% | 57.0% |
| 2017-18 | 61.0% | 62.0% |
| 2016-17 | 66.0% | 62.0% |
% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Paxton Center ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Massachusetts | In Worcester County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 54.0% | #308 of 920 ▲ 69 | #29 of 113 ▲ 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 47.0% | #374 of 920 ▲ 32 | #36 of 113 ▲ 7 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +7.5pp | #153 of 901 | #9 of 110 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 448 | #348 of 1,086 | #51 of 139 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.8:1 | #576 of 938 | #50 of 124 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 31.1% | #757 of 938 | #105 of 124 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -4.3% | #491 of 602 | #58 of 77 |
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
448
+8 (+2%) vs 2020
-17% since 2000-01, when it was 540
Student : Teacher
12.8:1
was 14.7:1
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 | 448 | 35 | 12.8:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 432 | 32 | 13.5:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 454 | 32.4 | 14.0:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 440 | 30 | 14.7:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 468 | 31.7 | 14.8:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 508 | 33 | 15.4:1 | N/A |
| 2010-11 | 527 | 33 | 16.0:1 | 9% (49) |
| 2000-01 | 540 | N/A | N/A | 3% (14) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Paxton Center.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (468 to 448); teachers up 11% (31.7 to 35).
About Paxton Center
Paxton Center is a mid-sized elementary school in Paxton, Massachusetts, one of the schools in Wachusett. The school counted 448 students in 2024-25, covering kindergarten through 8.
Paxton Center is one of 13 schools in Wachusett, which enrolls 6,557 students in total.
White students account for 82% of the school's enrollment. It is also 9% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, 3% Asian, and 2% Black. Worcester County's residents are about 73% White, 10 points below the school's share. A diversity index of 31% means there is a 31% chance two randomly chosen students at Paxton Center are from different groups.
Paxton Center has 35 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff and a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.8:1. The ratio is within a point of the 12.2:1 average for elementary schools in Massachusetts.
Paxton Center earns a B+ on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 74% of Massachusetts public elementary schools.
American Community Survey estimates for Worcester County show that the median household earns about $95,939 a year, about 40% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 7%. Worcester County has 257 public schools with about 121,490 students, including Paxton Center.
Paxton Center is about 3.6 miles from West Tatnuck, its nearest public school. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles.
Paxton Center falls in the Rural: Fringe locale category, used for schools in rural territory close to an urban area.
Federal data show 440 students in 2020-21 and 448 in 2024-25, a difference of under 3%. Students per teacher dropped from 14.7 in 2020-21 to 12.8 in 2024-25.
People can post here about homework, tutoring, and testing dates and other school topics. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Worcester County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
867,788
Census ACS
Median income
$95,939
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
40%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
257
121,490 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Wachusett
- Wachusett Regional HighHigh · 1,779 students
- Mountview MiddleMiddle · 773 students
- DawsonElementary · 487 students
- Leroy E.MayoElementary · 472 students
- Davis Hill ElementaryElementary · 431 students
- Glenwood Elementary SchoolElementary · 382 students
Nearby schools
- West Tatnuck3.6 mi · 343
- Leicester Elementary4.1 mi · 467
- Wachusett Regional High4.1 mi · 1,779
- Leicester Middle4.1 mi · 394
- Leicester Integrated Preschool4.1 mi · 45
- Wire Village School4.2 mi · 430
Frequently asked questions
About Paxton CenterHow many students attend Paxton Center?
Paxton Center enrolls approximately 448 students in grades KG-08.
Is Paxton Center an elementary, middle, or high school?
Paxton Center is an elementary school covering grades KG-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paxton Center?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Paxton Center is approximately 12.8:1 (35 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Paxton Center?
At Paxton Center, the student body is approximately 82% White, 9% Hispanic, 2% Black, 3% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is Paxton Center public or private?
Paxton Center is a public K-12 school, overseen by Wachusett.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.