Analysis prepared March 2026. Data: DESE / E2C Hub, SY2017–2025. Boston Public Schools. All scores are avg scaled score, Next Gen MCAS scale.
Summary: Sumner Elementary School is one of three Boston schools (with Philbrick Elementary
and the newly opened Sarah Roberts School) in the same Roxbury/Dorchester neighborhood. Sumner's math
scores took a steep COVID hit in 2021 — among the largest in the district — and have only partially
recovered. ELA has similarly not returned to 2019 levels. Cohort analysis shows modest within-school
gains as students progress through grades, though less steep than some high-improving BPS peers.
Note: Sumner Elementary closed after SY2024–25 and merged into the Sarah Roberts School opening in fall 2025.
1. Score Trends by Grade
Sumner Elementary avg scaled scores by grade, 2017–2025. Dashed line marks COVID disruption (no testing in 2020).
ELA — Avg Scaled Score
Year
Gr 03
Gr 04
Gr 05
Gr 06
2025
494
482
482
482
Math — Avg Scaled Score
Year
Gr 03
Gr 04
Gr 05
Gr 06
2025
490
481
479
484
Sumner added Grade 6 in 2023, reflecting a school reconfiguration ahead of the merger with Philbrick
into the Sarah Roberts School.
2. COVID Recovery — Change from 2021 Low
ELA — Score Change vs. 2021 Baseline
Grade
2021 Score
2022 Δ
2023 Δ
2024 Δ
2025 Δ
Total Recovery
Gr 03
488
+4
+1
+0
+6
+6
Gr 04
494
-6
-3
-7
-12
-12
Gr 05
483
+7
+3
+4
-1
-1
Math — Score Change vs. 2021 Baseline
Grade
2021 Score
2022 Δ
2023 Δ
2024 Δ
2025 Δ
Total Recovery
Gr 03
473
+11
+9
+9
+17
+17
Gr 04
479
+8
+9
+10
+2
+2
Gr 05
476
+4
+8
+11
+3
+3
Context: Sumner's 2021 math scores (473–479) were among the lowest recorded for the school
and roughly 12–16 points below 2019 levels — a steeper COVID drop than most BPS elementary schools.
By 2025, math grades 3 and 4 are still 1–10 points below pre-COVID, with grade 5 the furthest from recovery.
3. Cohort Analysis
Each line traces the same cohort of students across grades. A "2021 entry-year" line shows those students
in Gr3 in 2021, Gr4 in 2022, Gr5 in 2023. Solid lines = post-COVID cohorts (2021+); dashed = pre-COVID.
Math and ELA cohort progression by grade, Sumner Elementary. Slopes reflect how much scores changed for the same group of students as they advanced through the school.
Cohort observations:
Pre-COVID ELA cohorts (2017–2019) tracked flat or slightly up across Gr3→Gr5, with all grades starting near 498.
Post-COVID ELA cohorts have been flat to slightly declining across grades — students who entered Gr3 strong are not finishing Gr5 stronger.
Math cohorts show modest upward slopes post-COVID (+4 to +8 pts Gr3→Gr5), but still well below pre-COVID starting levels.
2021 entry cohort entered at the lowest point (473 math Gr3) and gained only moderately — finishing Gr5 in 2023 at 484, still below any pre-COVID grade.
2022 entry cohort (Gr3 in 2022 at 484) shows the strongest post-COVID recovery slope, reaching 487 by Gr5 in 2024.
4. Key Findings
Math has partially recovered — Grade 3 math reached 490 in 2025, just above the 487 pre-COVID baseline. Grades 4 and 5 remain below 2019 levels (481 vs 491, and 479 vs 492).
ELA has not recovered. All tested grades in 2025 are below 2019 levels by 4–16 points. Grade 4 shows the sharpest decline (482 in 2025 vs 498 in 2019).
COVID hit was deep. Math dropped 14–16 points in 2021 from 2019 — one of the steeper drops among Boston elementary schools.
Within-school value-add is modest. Cohort slopes are positive but shallow in math post-COVID, and flat or negative in ELA. Students are not gaining much ground as they advance through grades.
Grade 6 added in 2023 as Sumner prepared for consolidation with Philbrick Elementary School into the new Sarah Roberts School (opened fall 2025). Sarah Roberts data will not appear in MCAS results until spring 2026.
