The school's namesake is Abby Kelley Foster, a noted 19th-century leader in abolitionist and women's rights movements who resided in Worcester. On February 25, 2003, the Board of Education voted unanimously to renew the school's 5-year charter.
Campus
Abby Kelley Foster started with Grades K-5 in a factory building. The middle and high school programs came later and are located in adjacent buildings. There are 3 buildings in this campus. The Elementary, Middle and High School buildings. They are located next to Kendrick Field which provided them with a great place to have field days, but in the year 2009 they transformed the old building next to it into a new playground and 2 athletic fields. They also made a high school. They made another old building into a full court gym for the Elementary and Middle Schools in 2008. Due to overcrowding, the school leased space at Temple Emanuel for grades 6-8 during the 2002-2003 school year.
The school board decided to build a new high school. The building was bought from Norton Abrasives and was completely refurbished. During the construction of the school, students were temporarily put an old school building on Ararat Street. The building opened for the 2009-2010 school year and is still currently functional. The building was equipped with an Auditorium, Gymnasium, Cafeteria and Library. There was also the installation of a Chemistry and Biology Lab plus a lecture Hall. Adjacent to the Auditorium and Gym is a warehouse that the school uses for various storage and projects, such as the school play.. More classrooms were built in the High school due to overcrowding during the 2016-2017 school year. They are now opened for the 2017-2018 school year.
Athletic facilities
During the building of the new high school in 2009, the school also turned an old storage building and an old playground into a new playground. The adjacent parking lots were also turned into one small athletic and one large mixed use field. The playground and both fields are covered in Astro-turf. There was also one building located next to the small field that was turned into a full court gym and is used by the Elementary and Middle School.
Curriculum
Abby Kelley Foster focuses on reading, writing, math and music as key subjects for elementary students to be expanded upon in each grade level. The average student teacher ratio is 22:1. The school also focuses on technology with curriculum beginning early with simple tasks progressing to the high school level with advanced topics on Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop and web design.
For the 2010–11 school year the school was authorized to give International Baccalaureate diplomas to students who enroll in these excelled courses. These courses are offered to students of the Junior and Senior classes. The current courses offered in IB are as follows:
As of 2007, Abby Kelley Foster shows mixed results in MCAS testing. Grade 3 tests show that 35% of students were proficient in English Language Arts arts while 17% of students were proficient in math. In 2004, Abbey Kelley Foster students scored 37% in English Language Arts and in 2006, scored 32% in math. This compares to state averages of 39% and 40%, respectively. In grades 4–8, math results remain below the state average. The highest results come in grade 8 with 35% proficiency as compared to the state average of 45%. English Language Arts scores are higher, and in all but one case in grades 4–7 are above the state average. Grade 8 testing shows 82% proficiency. In science testing during grades 5 and 8, scores are 29% and 32% compared to the state averages of 41% and 35%, respectively. Grade 10 testing shows proficiency well below the state average at 43% for English Language Arts and 60% as compared to 71% and 69%, respectively.
The MCAS STE test, which measures proficiency in biology, chemistry, introductory physics and technology/engineering was measured at Abby Kelley Foster in the 58% in biology and 37% in technology/engineering as compared to the state averages of 42% and 35%. According to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, both ninth and tenth graders take the test, which will become a graduation requirement in 2010.
Advanced placement
During the 2006–2007 school year, Abby Kelley Foster participated in the Advanced Placement Program by offering courses in the following areas: Biology, Government & Politics: US and World History. Students who do well on the final test in these subjects may be eligible for college credits.
