Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School is a neighborhood-centered school developed to serve the surrounding community. Our goal is to guarantee all students a rigorous academic experience, provided in an environment that values and celebrates strong relationships among students, staff, families, and community.
We serve over 800 students in grades K0-8. Our sheltered English immersion program welcomes students from many Spanish-speaking countries as well as from Cape Verde, and our program for students with Autism serves students in a maximally inclusive setting. Our arts programming has been recognized as a turnaround model by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
Over the past several years, Orchard Gardens has undergone a dramatic turnaround, transforming from one of the lowest performing schools in the Commonwealth to a dynamic and energized learning community.
Recognized by the Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick and First Lady Michelle Obama for its rapid improvement, strong instructional focus, and commitment to arts integration. Our students have demonstrated extraordinary academic growth in mathematics and English Language Arts over this time, ranking in the top 10% of all schools in Massachusetts in growth on the MCAS during this period. Among large elementary and middle schools (>800), our 4-year growth rate ranks in the top 5 schools in Massachusetts. Over this period, the percentage of students reading at grade level has increased 250%.
