Photo: Trevorwelsh · CC BY-SA 4.0Wellesley’s public schools outscore 95% of Massachusetts districts
73% of students in Wellesley’s public schools are proficient in math, above the Massachusetts average (41%). The grade covers the public school district serving Wellesley, 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.
Wellesley’s schools, in brief
Against towns with similar incomes
Among the 49 Massachusetts towns with household incomes within a quarter of Wellesley’s, its schools beat 67%, lower than their 95% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Above the state on both counts
Reading proficiency is 73% and math 73% 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 $31,194 per student, against $26,530 across Massachusetts (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
Six elementary schools, then one middle and one high school
Which elementary school depends on the address; from grade 6 the district’s path is Wellesley Middle, then Wellesley Sr High. Enrollment is down 7% since 2020–21. See the path ↓
Choice beyond the district
Dana Hall School (private), Star Academy for the Gifted and Talented (private), St. John School (private), Tenacre Country Day School (private) and The Wellesley 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 Wellesley’s grade
A+: better than 95% of Massachusetts school districts, #11 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 Wellesley, with each school’s own grade.
Pre-K in Wellesley
Preschool at Wellesley Schools
Grades PK · 87 students · 10:1 students per teacher
6th grade in Wellesley
Wellesley Middle
Grades 6–8 · 919 students · 9:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Wellesley
Wellesley Middle
Grades 6–8 · 919 students · 9:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Wellesley
Wellesley Middle
Grades 6–8 · 919 students · 9:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Wellesley
Wellesley Sr High
Grades 9–12 · 1,262 students · 11:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Wellesley
Wellesley Sr High
Grades 9–12 · 1,262 students · 11:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Wellesley
Wellesley Sr High
Grades 9–12 · 1,262 students · 11:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Wellesley
Wellesley Sr High
Grades 9–12 · 1,262 students · 11:1 students per teacher
Wellesley’s public schools are run by Wellesley 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
Wellesley vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Massachusetts towns that share Wellesley’s borders.
Every school in Wellesley
14 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 Wellesley’s schools
Are Wellesley’s schools good?
By Massachusetts’s own tests, yes: the public schools Wellesley children attend outscore 95% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A+ Schools grade, #11 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 67%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Wellesley in?
Wellesley School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 3,986 students in 9 schools (2024–25).
Where do Wellesley kids go to high school?
Wellesley Sr High, with 1,262 students; its own test results earn an A+.
What is Wellesley’s graduation rate?
97% of the class of 2023 in Wellesley School District graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts.
How much does Wellesley spend per student?
$31,194 in Wellesley School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Wellesley?
Yes: Dana Hall School (nonsectarian · all-girls, grades 5–12, 462 students), Star Academy for the Gifted and Talented (nonsectarian, grades PK–11, 419 students), St. John School (Catholic, grades PK–6, 218 students), Tenacre Country Day School (nonsectarian, grades PK–6, 200 students) and The Wellesley Montessori School (nonsectarian, grades PK–K, 52 students).
Parents talk
What Wellesley families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Wellesley → 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.