1
What do students at Spark Academy actually talk about outside of class?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
443
Middle
DISTRICT 457 · STATE 547
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LAWRENCE·NCES 250666002758
Spark Academy
165 Crawford Street, Lawrence, MA 01843 · (978) 975-5993 · Essex County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL443 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
9.4:1
47 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.0:1 · STATE 11.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 132 | 30% |
| Grade 7 | 150 | 34% |
| Grade 8 | 161 | 36% |
Student demographics
11%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
26.0%
MA avg 43.8% . -5.0pp since 2016
Math
28.0%
MA avg 42.2% . -11.0pp since 2016
What this means: On the MCAS, Massachusetts's statewide test, about 26 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 5 points since 2016, while math scores are down about 11 points.
MCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 26.0% | 28.0% |
| 2023-24 | 25.0% | 26.0% |
| 2022-23 | 32.0% | 27.0% |
| 2021-22 | 24.0% | 20.0% |
| 2020-21 | 15.0% | 7.0% |
| 2018-19 | 26.0% | 38.0% |
| 2017-18 | 22.0% | 32.0% |
| 2016-17 | 31.0% | 39.0% |
% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Spark Academy ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Massachusetts | In Essex County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 28.0% | #215 of 304 ▲ 4 | #25 of 40 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 26.0% | #236 of 304 ▼ 4 | #29 of 40 ▼ 3 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +5.0pp | #58 of 299 | #7 of 40 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 443 | #203 of 310 | #26 of 40 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 9.4:1 | #31 of 296 | #7 of 37 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 10.9% | #290 of 296 | #31 of 37 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -3.7% | #176 of 204 | #26 of 29 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
443
-33 (-7%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
9.4:1
was 14.4:1
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 | 443 | 47 | 9.4:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 445 | 40.1 | 11.1:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 437 | 40 | 10.9:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 476 | 33 | 14.4:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 460 | 41.1 | 11.2:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 430 | 34 | 12.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Spark Academy.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (460 to 443); teachers up 14% (41.1 to 47).
About Spark Academy
Spark Academy is a small middle school in Massachusetts, with an address in Lawrence. The school serves 443 students in grades 6 through 8 in 2024-25.
Lawrence is responsible for 26 schools, Spark Academy included, with 13,313 students in all.
The large majority of students at Spark Academy, 94%, are Hispanic. The rest of enrollment is 3% White. Among all residents of Essex County, the Hispanic share is about 24%. By the diversity index, Spark Academy comes in at 11%.
Its teaching staff equals 47 full-time positions, a ratio of 9.4:1. For comparison, middle schools in Massachusetts average 11.5:1.
In the county around the school, Essex County, median household income is about $101,883, roughly 43% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 7%. Spark Academy is among the 221 public schools in Essex County.
The closest other public school is South Lawrence East Elementary School, less than a tenth of a mile away. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles.
By NCES locale, the school is Suburb: Large, or in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Spark Academy had 476 students in 2020-21 and 443 in 2024-25, a 7% decrease. The ratio was 14.4:1 in 2020-21 and 9.4:1 in 2024-25.
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.
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
- South Lawrence East Elementary School0.0 mi · 666
- John Breen School0.1 mi · 262
- Lawrence High School0.3 mi · 3,453
- Thomson0.6 mi · 294
- High School Learning Center0.8 mi · 198
- Emily G Wetherbee1.0 mi · 480
Frequently asked questions
About Spark AcademyHow large is Spark Academy?
Spark Academy enrolls approximately 443 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Spark Academy serve?
Spark Academy serves grades 06-08.
How many teachers does Spark Academy have?
Spark Academy employs 47 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 9.4:1.
How diverse is Spark Academy?
Spark Academy reports a student body of 3% White, 94% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 0% Two or more.
Who oversees Spark Academy?
Spark Academy is overseen by Lawrence in Essex County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.