Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0Waltham’s public schools score below 75% of Massachusetts districts on tests and graduation
The grade covers the public school district serving Waltham, 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 98% 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.
Waltham’s schools, in brief
Against towns with similar incomes
Among the 292 Massachusetts towns with household incomes within a quarter of Waltham’s, its schools beat 11%, lower than their 25% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Results trail the state
In spring 2022, 40% of tested students were proficient in reading and 38% in math, against 44% and 41% statewide; 98% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓
Graduation
80% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts. Districts ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $28,352 per student, against $26,530 across Massachusetts (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
Seven 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
Our Ladys Academy (private), Gann Academy-the New Jewish High School (private), Chapel Hill Chauncy Hall School (private) and Milestones 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 Waltham’s grade
C: better than 25% of Massachusetts school districts, #233 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Both inputs trail the Massachusetts average; test scores are the closer of the two to typical.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Waltham, with each school’s own grade.
Pre-K in Waltham · depends on your address
Northeast Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 527 students · 11:1 students per teacher
William F. Stanley Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 381 students · 8:1 students per teacher
6th grade in Waltham · depends on your address
John F Kennedy Middle
Grades 6–8 · 635 students · 10:1 students per teacher
John W. McDevitt Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 618 students · 10:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Waltham · depends on your address
John F Kennedy Middle
Grades 6–8 · 635 students · 10:1 students per teacher
John W. McDevitt Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 618 students · 10:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Waltham · depends on your address
John F Kennedy Middle
Grades 6–8 · 635 students · 10:1 students per teacher
John W. McDevitt Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 618 students · 10:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Waltham
Waltham Sr High
Grades 9–12 · 1,791 students · 10:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Waltham
Waltham Sr High
Grades 9–12 · 1,791 students · 10:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Waltham
Waltham Sr High
Grades 9–12 · 1,791 students · 10:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Waltham
Waltham Sr High
Grades 9–12 · 1,791 students · 10:1 students per teacher
Waltham’s public schools are run by Waltham 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.
Below the state in reading
Waltham vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Massachusetts towns that share Waltham’s borders.
Every school in Waltham
15 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 Waltham’s schools
Are Waltham’s schools good?
On Massachusetts’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Waltham children attend score below 75% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C Schools grade, #233 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 11%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Waltham in?
Waltham School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 5,777 students in 11 schools (2024–25).
Where do Waltham kids go to high school?
Waltham Sr High, with 1,791 students; its own test results earn a B.
What is Waltham’s graduation rate?
80% of the class of 2023 in Waltham School District graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts.
How much does Waltham spend per student?
$28,352 in Waltham School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Waltham?
Yes: Our Ladys Academy (Catholic, grades PK–8, 417 students), Gann Academy-the New Jewish High School (religious, grades 9–12, 351 students), Chapel Hill Chauncy Hall School (nonsectarian, grades 8–12, 198 students) and Milestones Day School (special education, grades 4–12, 89 students).
Parents talk
What Waltham families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Waltham → 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.