Photo: Terageorge · CC BY-SA 3.0Reading’s public schools outscore 83% of Massachusetts districts
In Reading, 59% of tested students are proficient in math, above the Massachusetts average (41%). The grade covers the public school district serving Reading, 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.
Reading’s schools, in brief
Against towns with similar incomes
Among the 166 Massachusetts towns with household incomes within a quarter of Reading’s, its schools beat 71%, lower than their 83% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Above the state on both counts
Reading proficiency is 63% and math 59% in spring 2022, against 44% and 41% statewide; 97% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 89%. Test scores ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $21,137 per student, against $26,530 across Massachusetts (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
Five elementary schools, then two middle and one high school
Which school depends on the address at every step. See the path ↓
Choice beyond the district
Austin Preparatory School (private) and Reading Montessori School (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 Reading’s grade
A−: better than 83% of Massachusetts school districts, #45 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 Reading, with each school’s own grade.
6th grade in Reading · depends on your address
Walter S Parker Middle
Grades 6–8 · 467 students · 9:1 students per teacher
Arthur W Coolidge Middle
Grades 6–8 · 405 students · 11:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Reading · depends on your address
Walter S Parker Middle
Grades 6–8 · 467 students · 9:1 students per teacher
Arthur W Coolidge Middle
Grades 6–8 · 405 students · 11:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Reading · depends on your address
Walter S Parker Middle
Grades 6–8 · 467 students · 9:1 students per teacher
Arthur W Coolidge Middle
Grades 6–8 · 405 students · 11:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Reading
Reading Memorial High
Grades 9–12 · 1,094 students · 12:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Reading
Reading Memorial High
Grades 9–12 · 1,094 students · 12:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Reading
Reading Memorial High
Grades 9–12 · 1,094 students · 12:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Reading
Reading Memorial High
Grades 9–12 · 1,094 students · 12:1 students per teacher
Reading’s public schools are run by Reading 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
Reading vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Massachusetts towns that share Reading’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | A− | Reading |
| North Reading | A | North Reading |
| Wakefield | B+ | Wakefield |
| Woburn | C+ | Woburn |
| Stoneham | B | Stoneham |
| Wilmington | B | Wilmington |
| Lynnfield | A | Lynnfield |
Every school in Reading
11 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 Reading’s schools
Are Reading’s schools good?
By Massachusetts’s own tests, yes: the public schools Reading children attend outscore 83% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A− Schools grade, #45 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 71%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Reading in?
Reading School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 3,836 students in 9 schools (2024–25).
Where do Reading kids go to high school?
Reading Memorial High, with 1,094 students; its own test results earn an A+.
What is Reading’s graduation rate?
97% of the class of 2023 in Reading School District graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts.
How much does Reading spend per student?
$21,137 in Reading School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Reading?
Yes: Austin Preparatory School (Catholic, grades 6–12, 806 students) and Reading Montessori School (nonsectarian, grades PK–K, 45 students).
Parents talk
What Reading families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Reading → 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.