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Which teacher or staff member at Wm L Foster Elementary deserves more recognition?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
402
Elementary
DISTRICT 438 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HINGHAM·NCES 250609000876
Wm L Foster Elementary
55 Downer Avenue, Hingham, MA 02043 · (781) 741-1520 · Plymouth County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL402 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.5:1
32 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.6:1 · 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 | 13 | 3% |
| Kindergarten | 59 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 66 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 66 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 53 | 13% |
| Grade 4 | 66 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 79 | 20% |
This year's kindergarten class (59) is 25% smaller than its 5th grade class (79).
Student demographics
25%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 23% · 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
Based on grade levels within Hingham. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MCAS 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
74.0%
MA avg 43.8% . +1.0pp since 2016
Math
75.0%
MA avg 42.2% . -3.0pp since 2016
What this means: On the MCAS, Massachusetts's statewide test, about 74 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 75 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Massachusetts schools, those numbers are about 44 and 42. Reading and writing scores are up about 1 points since 2016, while math scores are down about 3 points.
MCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 74.0% | 75.0% |
| 2023-24 | 70.0% | 74.0% |
| 2022-23 | 73.0% | 74.0% |
| 2021-22 | 73.0% | 70.0% |
| 2020-21 | 76.0% | 67.0% |
| 2018-19 | 85.0% | 82.0% |
| 2017-18 | 82.0% | 79.0% |
| 2016-17 | 73.0% | 78.0% |
% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Wm L Foster Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Massachusetts | In Plymouth County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 75.0% | #47 of 920 ▲ 14 | #3 of 63 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 74.0% | #37 of 920 ▲ 9 | #3 of 63 ▲ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +3.0pp | #330 of 901 | #28 of 61 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 402 | #434 of 1,086 | #47 of 73 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.5:1 | #511 of 938 | #25 of 70 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 25.3% | #821 of 938 | #37 of 70 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -9.9% | #332 of 602 | #17 of 44 |
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
402
-43 (-10%) vs 2020
-37% since 1990-91, when it was 634
Student : Teacher
12.5:1
was 12.4:1
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 | 402 | 32.2 | 12.5:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 391 | 30.2 | 12.9:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 403 | 34.2 | 11.8:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 445 | 36 | 12.4:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 446 | 31.2 | 14.3:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 470 | 35 | 13.4:1 | N/A |
| 2010-11 | 487 | 31 | 15.7:1 | 5% (23) |
| 2000-01 | 609 | N/A | N/A | 3% (21) |
| 1990-91 | 634 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Wm L Foster Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 10% (446 to 402); teachers up 3% (31.2 to 32.2).
About Wm L Foster Elementary
Wm L Foster Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Hingham, located in Hingham, Massachusetts. Its enrollment is 402 students, spread over pre-K through 5.
Federal data list 6 schools in Hingham, with 3,616 students enrolled.
Roughly 86% of students at Wm L Foster Elementary are White. Other students are 7% multiracial and 4% Hispanic. By comparison, Plymouth County residents are about 77% White. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 25%.
The school's 32.2 full-time-equivalent teachers translate to a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.5:1. The average ratio among elementary schools in Massachusetts is similar, at 12.2:1.
The county, Plymouth County, is where the school is located. The median household earns about $114,201 a year, 42% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Counting Wm L Foster Elementary, Plymouth County has 141 public schools.
East Elementary School is about 2.0 miles from Wm L Foster Elementary, the shortest distance to any other public school. The five-mile area around Wm L Foster Elementary holds at least 8 other public schools.
The school's federal locale classification is Suburb: Large.
Enrollment was 402 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, it was 445.
This community page is for conversations about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. You can also rate the school on this page.
Plymouth County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
535,075
Census ACS
Median income
$114,201
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
42%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
141
76,427 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Hingham
- Hingham HighHigh · 1,066 students
- Hingham Middle SchoolMiddle · 798 students
- East Elementary SchoolElementary · 502 students
- South ElementaryElementary · 496 students
- Plymouth RiverElementary · 352 students
Other schools in Hingham
- Hingham HighHigh · 1,066 students
- Hingham Middle SchoolMiddle · 798 students
- East Elementary SchoolElementary · 502 students
- South ElementaryElementary · 496 students
- Plymouth RiverElementary · 352 students
Nearby schools
- East Elementary School2.0 mi · 502
- Hingham High2.2 mi · 1,066
- Wessagusset2.3 mi · 329
- Maria Weston Chapman Middle School2.7 mi · 1,187
- Lawrence W Pingree2.7 mi · 266
- Plymouth River3.0 mi · 352
Frequently asked questions
About Wm L Foster ElementaryHow large is Wm L Foster Elementary?
Wm L Foster Elementary enrolls approximately 402 students in grades PK-05.
Is Wm L Foster Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Wm L Foster Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wm L Foster Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Wm L Foster Elementary is approximately 12.5:1 (32 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Wm L Foster Elementary?
Wm L Foster Elementary reports a student body of 86% White, 4% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is Wm L Foster Elementary in?
Wm L Foster Elementary is part of Hingham.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.