Photo: Beyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0Cambridge’s public schools outscore 63% of Massachusetts districts
55% of students in Cambridge’s public schools are proficient in reading, above the Massachusetts average (44%). The grade covers the public school district serving Cambridge, 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 96% 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.
Cambridge’s schools, in brief
Above the state on both counts
Reading proficiency is 55% and math 49% in spring 2022, against 44% and 41% statewide; 92% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 89%. Test scores ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $40,789 per student, against $26,530 across Massachusetts (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
Ten elementary schools, then five middle and one high school
Which school depends on the address at every step. Enrollment is up 5% since 2020–21. See the path ↓
Choice beyond the district
Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School, Prospect Hill Academy Charter School, Community Charter School of Cambridge, Shady Hill School (private), Fayerweather Street School (private), St. Peter School (private), Cambridge Friends School (private), Cambridge High School M-Gymnasium LLD (private), Malik Academy/ Al Bustan Preschool (private), Malik Academy (private), Wild Rose Montessori School (private), St. Paul's Choir School (private) and James F Farr Academy (private) are in town. 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 Cambridge’s grade
B: better than 63% of Massachusetts school districts, #113 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Test scores and graduation are both above the Massachusetts average; test scores are the stronger of the two.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Cambridge, with each school’s own grade.
9th grade in Cambridge
Cambridge Rindge and Latin
Grades 9–12 · 2,072 students · 9:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Cambridge
Cambridge Rindge and Latin
Grades 9–12 · 2,072 students · 9:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Cambridge
Cambridge Rindge and Latin
Grades 9–12 · 2,072 students · 9:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Cambridge
Cambridge Rindge and Latin
Grades 9–12 · 2,072 students · 9:1 students per teacher
Cambridge’s public schools are run by Cambridge 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 above the state in reading
Cambridge vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Massachusetts towns that share Cambridge’s borders.
Every school in Cambridge
30 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 Cambridge’s schools
Are Cambridge’s schools good?
They sit near the middle of Massachusetts: the public schools Cambridge children attend outscore 63% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B Schools grade, #113 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 63%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Cambridge in?
Cambridge School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 7,027 students in 17 schools (2024–25).
Where do Cambridge kids go to high school?
Cambridge Rindge and Latin, with 2,072 students; its own test results earn an A−.
What is Cambridge’s graduation rate?
92% of the class of 2023 in Cambridge School District graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts.
How much does Cambridge spend per student?
$40,789 in Cambridge School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Cambridge?
Yes: Shady Hill School (nonsectarian, grades PK–8, 531 students), Fayerweather Street School (nonsectarian, grades PK–8, 187 students), St. Peter School (Catholic, grades PK–8, 184 students), Cambridge Friends School (religious, grades PK–8, 125 students), Cambridge High School M-Gymnasium LLD (religious, grades 1–12, 105 students), Malik Academy/ Al Bustan Preschool (religious, grades PK–3, 82 students), Malik Academy (religious, grades PK–3, 77 students), Wild Rose Montessori School (nonsectarian, grades PK–5, 45 students), St. Paul's Choir School (catholic · all-boys, grades 3–8, 40 students) and James F Farr Academy (special education, grades 7–12, 24 students). Cambridge also has 3 charter schools, free and open by application.
Parents talk
What Cambridge families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Cambridge → 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.