LUNA (tugboat) · Photo: Nkwoodward · CC BY 4.0Chelsea’s public schools score below 97% of Massachusetts districts on tests and graduation
In Chelsea, 17% of tested students are proficient in math, below the Massachusetts average (41%). The grade covers the public school district serving Chelsea, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Massachusetts, not nationally.
From Massachusetts state tests taken in spring 2022, when 100% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Chelsea’s schools, in brief
Results trail the state
In spring 2022, 19% of tested students were proficient in reading and 17% in math, against 44% and 41% statewide; 100% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓
Graduation
64% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts. Districts ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $24,062 per student, against $26,530 across Massachusetts (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
One elementary school, then four elementary, three middle and one high school
Which school depends on the address at the later steps. See the path ↓
Choice beyond the district
Phoenix Academy Charter Public High School Chelsea and Seaport Academy (private) are in town. Chelsea Virtual Learning Academy, an online school, is based here too; it isn’t counted as a local school. Every school ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind Chelsea’s grade
D−: better than 3% of Massachusetts school districts, #281 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Both inputs trail the Massachusetts average; test scores are the closer of the two to typical.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Chelsea, with each school’s own grade.
Pre-K in Chelsea
Shurtleff Early Childhood
Grades PK–1 · 779 students · 13:1 students per teacher
Kindergarten in Chelsea
Shurtleff Early Childhood
Grades PK–1 · 779 students · 13:1 students per teacher
6th grade in Chelsea · depends on your address
Clark Avenue School
Grades 5–8 · 673 students · 13:1 students per teacher
Joseph A. Browne School
Grades 5–8 · 487 students · 9:1 students per teacher
Eugene Wright Science and Technology Academy
Grades 5–8 · 436 students · 10:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Chelsea · depends on your address
Clark Avenue School
Grades 5–8 · 673 students · 13:1 students per teacher
Joseph A. Browne School
Grades 5–8 · 487 students · 9:1 students per teacher
Eugene Wright Science and Technology Academy
Grades 5–8 · 436 students · 10:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Chelsea · depends on your address
Clark Avenue School
Grades 5–8 · 673 students · 13:1 students per teacher
Joseph A. Browne School
Grades 5–8 · 487 students · 9:1 students per teacher
Eugene Wright Science and Technology Academy
Grades 5–8 · 436 students · 10:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Chelsea
Chelsea High
Grades 9–12 · 1,649 students · 13:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Chelsea
Chelsea High
Grades 9–12 · 1,649 students · 13:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Chelsea
Chelsea High
Grades 9–12 · 1,649 students · 13:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Chelsea
Chelsea High
Grades 9–12 · 1,649 students · 13:1 students per teacher
Chelsea’s public schools are run by Chelsea School District. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
The district
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well below the state in reading
Chelsea vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Massachusetts towns that share Chelsea’s borders.
Every school in Chelsea
13 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Massachusetts’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Questions about Chelsea’s schools
Are Chelsea’s schools good?
On Massachusetts’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Chelsea children attend score below 97% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, a D− Schools grade, #281 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 2%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Chelsea in?
Chelsea School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 6,094 students in 11 schools (2024–25).
Where do Chelsea kids go to high school?
Chelsea High, with 1,649 students; its own test results earn a C−.
What is Chelsea’s graduation rate?
64% of the class of 2023 in Chelsea School District graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts.
How much does Chelsea spend per student?
$24,062 in Chelsea School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Chelsea?
Yes: Seaport Academy (special education · all-boys, grades 8–12, 24 students). Chelsea also has 1 charter school, free and open by application.
Parents talk
What Chelsea families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Chelsea → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Massachusetts. Stars are from neighbors.