Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Shirley

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Shirley Municipal BuildingPhoto: Bob Burkhardt · CC BY 3.0
C+
Schools in Shirley · Ayer-Shirley School District

Shirley’s public schools score below 61% of Massachusetts districts on tests and graduation

The grade covers the public school district serving Shirley, 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.

#186of 283 Massachusetts townsK–12Where will my kid go?

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 proficiency
47%
▲ 3 pts vs MA 44%
2021–22
Math proficiency
40%
▼ 1 pts vs MA 41%
2021–22
Graduate on time
85–89%
▼ 0–4 pts vs MA 89%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$20.1K
▼ 24% vs MA $26.5K
FY2024
Students per teacher
12.0
MA 11.9
Schools in town
2
1,184 students on the public path
In brief

Shirley’s schools, in brief

Against towns with similar incomes

Among the 292 Massachusetts towns with household incomes within a quarter of Shirley’s, its schools beat 29%, lower than their 39% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Above the state in reading, below in math

Reading proficiency is 47% and math 40% in spring 2022, against 44% and 41% statewide; 85–89% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 89%. Test scores ↓

Spending and class size

The district spends $20,143 per student, against $26,530 across Massachusetts (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓

One elementary school, then one middle and one high school

From grade 6 the district’s path is Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School, then Ayer Shirley Regional High School. Enrollment is up 7% since 2020–21. See the path ↓

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.

The School Grade

What’s behind Shirley’s grade

B− Test scoresC− Graduation

C+: better than 39% of Massachusetts school districts, #186 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Test scores are above the Massachusetts average; graduation is below it.

Massachusetts school districts we grade (394)Better than 39%
Lower resultsHigher results
Massachusetts towns with similar household incomes (292)Better than 29%
Towns in Middlesex County (41)Better than 5%
CBA fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 857 test results and a graduating class of 99 could put Shirley anywhere from C to B. The tests are from spring 2022, when 100% of Shirley’s students in the tested grades sat them (858 in math, 856 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Shirley, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
K–5Lura A. White Elementary SchoolAyer-Shirley School DistrictC+
6–8Ayer Shirley Regional Middle SchoolAyer-Shirley School DistrictC+
9–12Ayer Shirley Regional High Schoolin AyerA−

Shirley’s public schools are run by Ayer-Shirley School District, which also serves Ayer. 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.

Ayer-Shirley School DistrictGrades PK–12 · 4 schools · 1,723 students, up 7% since 2020–21 · 12.0 per teacher (MA 11.9)
$20,143MA $26,530 · FY2024
C+
Test scores · 2021–22

Above the state in reading

Reading47%
State average 43.7% · 856 students tested
Math40%
State average 40.7% · 858 students tested

Shirley vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the Massachusetts towns that share Shirley’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
ShirleyC+Ayer-Shirley
GrotonAGroton-Dunstable
AyerC+Ayer-Shirley
HarvardA+Harvard
LunenburgBLunenburg

Every school in Shirley

3 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).

District schools in Shirleyby address
Lura A. White Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C+
357 students12:1Rate it →
Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8
C+
410 students12:1Rate it →
Also serving Shirleyin other towns
Ayer Shirley Regional High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Ayer
A−
417 students11:1Rate it →

Questions about Shirley’s schools

Are Shirley’s schools good?

On Massachusetts’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Shirley children attend score below 61% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C+ Schools grade, #186 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 29%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Shirley in?

Ayer-Shirley School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 1,723 students in 4 schools (2024–25).

Where do Shirley kids go to high school?

Ayer Shirley Regional High School in Ayer, with 417 students; its own test results earn an A−.

What is Shirley’s graduation rate?

85–89% of the class of 2023 in Ayer-Shirley School District graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts.

How much does Shirley spend per student?

$20,143 in Ayer-Shirley School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Shirley families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Shirley → 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.