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A+

Needham School District

Public school districtGrades PK–12

Serves Needham.

Needham’s School Grade A+ better than 95% of Massachusetts school districts

Students
5,493
Schools
8
Spent per student
$25,207
MA $26,530
Students per teacher
12:1
The gist

What stands out about Needham School District

  • Its letter, A+: results better than 95% of Massachusetts districts
  • Math proficiency 30 pts above the state
  • Reading proficiency 26 pts above the state
  • Graduation rate 10 pts above the state
  • 12 students per teacher
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

A+: better than 95% of the 394 Massachusetts school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well above the state, 2021–22
A
GraduationFour-year graduation well above the state, class of 2023
A+
The town it serves, and its School Grade
A+Needham 32,897

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Needham. Grade by grade →

K–55 elementary schoolsThis district
7–8Pollard MiddleThis district
9–12Needham HighThis district

Test scores vs. MA

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency71%
State average 40.7% · 3,004 students tested
Reading / language arts70%
State average 43.7% · 3,009 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)99–100%
State average 89.2% · 381 in the class

100% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$25,207 per student · 5% below MA
Spending
Classroom instruction 61%Support & administration 39%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 77%State 19%Federal 3%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
5,483’20
5,515’21
5,525’22
5,541’23
5,493’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
White 71%Asian 12%Hispanic 7%Two or more races 6%Black 3%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%

Schools in the district

8 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Massachusetts’s other public schools.

Newman Elementary
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Needham
A−
696 students12:1
Sunita L. Williams Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Needham
A−
533 students13:1
Broadmeadow
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Needham
A
502 students14:1
William Mitchell
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Needham
A
424 students13:1
John Eliot
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Needham
A−
397 students12:1
High Rock School
Middle · Grades 6 · Needham
A
441 students12:1
Pollard Middle
Middle · Grades 7–8 · Needham
A
867 students11:1
Needham High
High · Grades 9–12 · Needham
A+
1,633 students12:1

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

Boston School DistrictBoston
$39,929per student
Dedham School DistrictDedham
$27,471per student
Dover School DistrictDover
$26,028per student
Dover-Sherborn School DistrictDover
$27,480per student

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within Massachusetts.