Photo: RedSoxFan274 · CC BY-SA 3.0Wakefield’s public schools outscore 70% of Massachusetts districts
On the state reading tests, 54% of Wakefield’s students scored proficient, above the Massachusetts average (44%). The grade covers the public school district serving Wakefield, 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.
Wakefield’s schools, in brief
Better than its incomes would predict
Among the 259 Massachusetts towns with household incomes within a quarter of Wakefield’s, its schools beat 75%, higher than their 70% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Above the state on both counts
Reading proficiency is 54% and math 50% 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 $22,529 per student, against $26,530 across Massachusetts (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
Four elementary schools, then one middle and one high school
Which elementary school depends on the address; from grade 5 the district’s path is Galvin Middle School, then Wakefield Memorial High. See the path ↓
Choice beyond the district
St. Joseph School (private) and Odyssey Day 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 Wakefield’s grade
B+: better than 70% of Massachusetts school districts, #84 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 Wakefield, with each school’s own grade.
Pre-K in Wakefield · depends on your address
Woodville School
Grades PK–4 · 456 students · 12:1 students per teacher
Early Childhood Center at the Doyle School
Grades PK · 128 students · 14:1 students per teacher
5th grade in Wakefield
Galvin Middle School
Grades 5–8 · 1,056 students · 11:1 students per teacher
6th grade in Wakefield
Galvin Middle School
Grades 5–8 · 1,056 students · 11:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Wakefield
Galvin Middle School
Grades 5–8 · 1,056 students · 11:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Wakefield
Galvin Middle School
Grades 5–8 · 1,056 students · 11:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Wakefield
Wakefield Memorial High
Grades 9–12 · 854 students · 11:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Wakefield
Wakefield Memorial High
Grades 9–12 · 854 students · 11:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Wakefield
Wakefield Memorial High
Grades 9–12 · 854 students · 11:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Wakefield
Wakefield Memorial High
Grades 9–12 · 854 students · 11:1 students per teacher
Wakefield’s public schools are run by Wakefield 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
Wakefield vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Massachusetts towns that share Wakefield’s borders.
Every school in Wakefield
10 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 Wakefield’s schools
Are Wakefield’s schools good?
By Massachusetts’s own tests, yes: the public schools Wakefield children attend outscore 70% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B+ Schools grade, #84 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 Wakefield in?
Wakefield School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 3,382 students in 7 schools (2024–25).
Where do Wakefield kids go to high school?
Wakefield Memorial High, with 854 students; its own test results earn an A.
What is Wakefield’s graduation rate?
96% of the class of 2023 in Wakefield School District graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts.
How much does Wakefield spend per student?
$22,529 in Wakefield School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Wakefield?
Yes: St. Joseph School (Catholic, grades PK–8, 267 students) and Odyssey Day School (nonsectarian, grades PK–8, 109 students).
Parents talk
What Wakefield families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Wakefield → 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.