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Massachusetts public elementary school

Carlton Elementary

Salem school district

C+
overall grade

Ranks #515 of 895 Massachusetts elementary schools.

Overall rank
#515
of 895 schools
ELA · 2024–2026
46%
MA average 42%
Math · 2024–2026
29%
MA average 43%
Avg class size
18
266 students

ELA and Math show the share of 3rd graders meeting or exceeding expectations on the MCAS, averaged over 2024–2026.

How it compares

What stands out
  • Strongest area: Attendance, in the top 32% statewide. Students attend 94.9% of school days on average.
  • Area to watch: Teacher quality ranks in the bottom 15% statewide.
  • Trend: ELA is up 16 points since 2023 (40% to 56%).
  • Trend: Chronic absence has fallen from 23.2% in 2022 to 11.6% in 2025.
Where it stands among 895 Massachusetts elementary schools
Bottom of MATop of MA
Overall
Averagebottom 43% · #515
ELA
Averagetop 46% · #404
Math
Below averagebottom 26% · #664
Attendance
Above averagetop 32% · #283
Teacher quality
Below averagebottom 15% · #766

MCAS standings use the 2024–2026 average of grade 3 results, so one unusual year doesn't swing a school's ranking. Scores in the sections below are from 2026.

Test scores

ELA has been above the state average in 6 of 8 years since 2018. Math has been above the state average in 2 of 8 years since 2018.

Share of 3rd graders meeting or exceeding expectations on the MCAS. There was no test in 2020.

English Language Arts56%in 2026 · state 43%
13 points above the state
0%50%100%This school56%State43%20172019202120232026
Math34%in 2026 · state 42%
8 points below the state
0%50%100%This school34%State42%20172019202120232026
Detailed scores
Average scaled score, ELA (500+ = meeting expectations)503
Average scaled score, Math (500+ = meeting expectations)490
Achievement percentile vs. MA schools (ELA · Math)74th · 34th

Students & classrooms

Classrooms
Students266
Average class size18MA avg 18
Students per teacher10.4MA avg 12.1
Who attends
White
56.8%
Hispanic/Latino
31.6%
Black/African American
6%
Multi-Race
3.4%
Asian
1.5%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.4%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.4%

51.5% girls · 47.7% boys

Student needs
Low incomeAbout average
This school
42.1%
MA avg
42.8%
English learnersLower than average
This school
12%
MA avg
17.2%
Students with disabilitiesHigher than average
This school
31.6%
MA avg
22.3%

Teachers

Licensed teachersAbout average
This school
100%
MA avg
98.4%
Experienced teachersWorse than average
This school
56.6%
MA avg
73.2%
Teaching in their fieldAbout average
This school
89.3%
MA avg
92.4%
Stayed from last yearWorse than average
This school
74.2%
MA avg
82.7%
More staffing details
Teachers (full-time equivalent)23.7
Principal retention100%
General education teachers86.1%
Special education teachers13.9%

Attendance & safety

Attendance rateAbout average
This school
94.9%
MA avg
94.1%
Chronically absentmissed 10%+ of daysBetter than average
This school
11.6%
MA avg
15.6%

9.2 days absent per student (MA avg 10.3) · Suspensions: 2.3% out-of-school, 1.9% in-school (MA elementary avg 2% / 1%)

About Salem

Essex County · North Shore & Merrimack Valley
Avg single-family home value$676KMA median $588K
Avg property tax bill$7,285MA median $6,814
Tax rate$10.80 per $1,000MA median $12.40
Income per person$41,229MA median $47,872
Local kids in public school91.1%
Town bond ratingAA
Free cash reserves7.3% of budget

Salem district profile · What could you afford here? · All towns A–Z

Town figures are FY2026 averages for single-family homes from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. Assessed values usually run below recent sale prices. "MA median" is the median of the state's 351 towns.

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