Cambridgeport vs John M Tobin

Cambridgeport and John M Tobin are both top-tier Cambridge elementary schools, separated by just 0.3 miles, yet their state rankings reveal a meaningful gap. John M Tobin sits at #27 of 1,791 Massachusetts elementary schools while Cambridgeport ranks #42 of 1,791 — both exceptional placements, but Tobin holds a clear 15-spot edge that parents focused on peer benchmarking should weigh seriously. Their overall ratings sit at 9.2 and 9.1 out of 10 respectively, a difference that tells only part of the story.

The academic scores diverge more sharply than the overall ratings suggest. John M Tobin posts an academic score of 9.4/10 against Cambridgeport's 8.3/10 — a 1.1-point gap that represents the most significant difference between these two schools. Cambridgeport counters with a stronger growth score: 9.2/10 versus Tobin's 8.9/10. That split matters because growth scores measure how much a school accelerates student progress relative to peers, meaning Cambridgeport moves students forward at a faster pace even if Tobin's absolute proficiency baseline is higher. Families prioritizing raw academic attainment lean Tobin; families focused on learning velocity lean Cambridgeport.

Both schools serve prekindergarten through fifth grade and run comparably small classrooms. Cambridgeport enrolls 285 students at a 10.6:1 student-teacher ratio; John M Tobin enrolls 326 students at a 10.2:1 ratio. The difference is marginal — roughly one additional student per four classrooms — but Tobin's slightly tighter ratio is a modest structural advantage for families seeking the most individualized attention. Neither school is large by any measure, and both offer the kind of intimate elementary environment that Cambridge's per-pupil spending tends to support.

Because both schools run the identical PK–05 grade span, no one school offers a structural head start in grade access. The distinction lives entirely in outcomes and emphasis: Tobin's stronger academic floor and Cambridgeport's stronger growth engine represent genuinely different instructional profiles despite their proximity and near-identical ratings.