Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0Newton’s public schools outscore 90% of Massachusetts districts
In Newton, 69% of tested students are proficient in math, above the Massachusetts average (41%). The grade covers the public school district serving Newton, 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 100% 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.
Newton’s schools, in brief
Against towns with similar incomes
Among the 110 Massachusetts towns with household incomes within a quarter of Newton’s, its schools beat 75%, lower than their 90% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Above the state on both counts
Reading proficiency is 67% and math 69% in spring 2022, against 44% and 41% statewide; 96% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 89%. Test scores ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $28,219 per student, against $26,530 across Massachusetts (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
15 elementary schools, then four middle and two high schools
Which school depends on the address at every step. See the path ↓
Choice beyond the district
Solomon Schechtee Day School (private), Solomon Schechter Day School (private), Brimmer & May School (private), Newton Country Day School (private), Wellan Montessori School (private), Mount Alvernia Academy (private), Jackson School (private), Learning Prep School (private), Fusion Academy Newton (private), Dearborn Academy (private), Clearway School (private), B C Campus School (private) and Walnut Park Montessori (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 Newton’s grade
A: better than 90% of Massachusetts school districts, #25 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 Newton, with each school’s own grade.
Pre-K in Newton
Newton Early Childhood Program
Grades PK · 173 students · 10:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Newton · depends on your address
Newton North High
Grades 9–12 · 2,096 students · 11:1 students per teacher · in Newtonville
Newton South High
Grades 9–12 · 1,898 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Newton Centre
10th grade in Newton · depends on your address
Newton North High
Grades 9–12 · 2,096 students · 11:1 students per teacher · in Newtonville
Newton South High
Grades 9–12 · 1,898 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Newton Centre
Newton’s public schools are run by Newton 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
Newton vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Massachusetts towns that share Newton’s borders.
Every school in Newton
35 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 Newton’s schools
Are Newton’s schools good?
By Massachusetts’s own tests, yes: the public schools Newton children attend outscore 90% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A Schools grade, #25 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 75%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Newton in?
Newton School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 11,632 students in 22 schools (2024–25).
Where do Newton kids go to high school?
One of 2 high schools, depending on your address: Newton North High and Newton South High.
What is Newton’s graduation rate?
96% of the class of 2023 in Newton School District graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts.
How much does Newton spend per student?
$28,219 in Newton School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Newton?
Yes: Solomon Schechtee Day School (religious, grades PK–8, 446 students), Solomon Schechter Day School (religious, grades PK–8, 444 students), Brimmer & May School (nonsectarian, grades PK–12, 406 students), Newton Country Day School (catholic · all-girls, grades 5–12, 374 students), Wellan Montessori School (nonsectarian, grades PK–8, 310 students), Mount Alvernia Academy (Catholic, grades PK–6, 302 students), Jackson School (Catholic, grades K–6, 159 students), Learning Prep School (special education, grades 4–12, 130 students), Fusion Academy Newton (nonsectarian, grades 6–12, 69 students), Dearborn Academy (special education, grades 6–12, 50 students), Clearway School (special education, grades 7–12, 37 students), B C Campus School (special education, grades PK–12, 28 students) and Walnut Park Montessori (Catholic, grades K, 25 students).
Parents talk
What Newton families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Newton → 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.