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BOSTON’S BEST PUBLIC SCHOOLS 2011

Our exclusive ranking of the region’s school districts.
Part I: In the Classroom | Part II: Achievement Scores


Ranking School District Enrollment Student/Teacher Ratio Per-Pupil Spending Graduation Rate No. of Sports Teams Half or Full Pre-K No. AP Classes
1 Dover-Sherborn 1,155 11.6:1 15,901 98.1 36 None 14
2 Concord-Carlisle 1,208 13.9:1 18,872 96.4 56 Both 9
3 Weston 2,365 12.2:1 18,591 96 53 Both 15
4 Lincoln-Sudbury 1,614 12.9:1 16,324 97 63 None 18
5 Lexington 6,366 11.8:1 15,862 92.8 48 Full 20
6 Manchester Essex 1,518 13.9:1 13,582 95.3 42 Half 14
7 Wayland 2,686 14:1 15,219 96.5 55 Full 7
8 Northborough-Southborough 1,438 13.9:1 13,695 98.1 58 Both 20
9 Hamilton-Wenham 1,976 12.4:1 14,283 93.8 39 Half 7
10 Sharon 3,435 13.6:1 13,932 96.9 28 Full 17
11 Wellesley 4,892 13.3:1 15,392 96.7 70 Full 14
12 Newton 11,934 13.2:1 16,597 94.5 139 Half 39
13 Cohasset 1,535 13.6:1 13,520 92.9 37 Half 10
14 Westwood 3,148 13.8:1 13,814 94.9 50 Both 20
15 Acton-Boxborough 2,421 16.6:1 13,110 96.4 59 Both 15
16 Newburyport 2,267 13.3:1 13,435 89.9 35 Half 12
17 Medfield 2,939 15.3:1 10,741 97.7 59 Half 12
18 Bedford 2,383 12.3:1 15,961 89.9 57 Half 8
19 Holliston 2,870 13.3:1 12,186 93.4 48 Half 13
20 Winchester 4,282 14.8:1 11,363 94.9 72 Both 16
21 Masconomet 2,090 15.5:1 12,718 96 55 None 18
22 Belmont 3,928 15.7:1 11,609 92.3 42 Half 27
23 Brookline 6,627 12.6:1 17,090 90 41 Both 18
24 Marblehead 3,206 13.7:1 12,235 90.4 56 Half 15
25 Cambridge Rindge and Latin 6,019 10.5:1 25,737 85.2 65 Full 15
26 Westford 5,291 14.6:1 10,697 94.6 65 Both 17
27 Duxbury 3,247 14.2:1 11,084 98.9 58 Half 18
28 Old Rochester 1,190 13.7:1 14,045 92.9 46 Both 8
29 Nashoba 3,495 14.2:1 12,521 92.6 44 Half 14
30 Hopkinton 3,454 14.7:1 11,921 97.3 44 Half 14
31 Needham 5,358 15.2:1 13,245 94.9 62 Half 12
32 Natick 4,825 14.1:1 12,910 93.2 66 Both 13
33 Medway 2,640 14.2:1 10,964 96.8 47 Both 15
34 Lynnfield 2,308 15.7:1 11,033 97.1 43 Both 10
35 Silver Lake 1,926 13.8:1 12,425 96.7 46 Half 12
36 Foxborough 2,836 13.6:1 12,125 96.3 46 Both 11
37 Burlington 3,652 12.7:1 14,276 95.1 47 Half 12
38 Andover 6,178 14.2:1 13,263 95.3 70 Both 14
39 Hingham 4,100 15.1:1 10,982 96.4 59 Both 16
40 Swampscott 2,273 13:1 12,448 94 39 Half 8
41 Ipswich 2,111 14.3:1 10,902 96 43 Half 15
42 Ashland 2,624 16.6:1 11,546 97.2 47 Both 17
43 Canton 3,218 13.4:1 12,916 91.4 46 Half 12
44 Norwell 2,343 16.3:1 11,380 96.6 47 Half 15
45 North Reading 2,675 14.3:1 11,288 93.9 46 Half 10
46 Arlington 4,808 13.7:1 12,502 93.3 60 Both 14
47 Rockport 946 12.5:1 13,067 87.9 21 Full 9
48 Georgetown 1,652 15.4:1 9,148 94.7 31 Both 6
49 Hanover 2,685 13.3:1 10,561 95.7 N/A Half 13
50 Somerset 2,756 12.6:1 12,536 91.8 44 Half 11
51 Wakefield 3,359 14:1 11,419 95.9 48 Full 13
52 Reading Memorial 4,459 14.5:1 10,749 86.1 57 Full 13
53 Watertown 2,649 11.7:1 15,985 82 37 Full 12
54 Waltham 4,796 11.2:1 18,960 72.6 60 Full 14
55 Walpole 3,961 14.9:1 11,971 92.9 43 Full 15
56 Littleton 1,584 16.1:1 11,881 91.1 30 Full 11
57 Dedham 2,879 13.3:1 14,852 83.7 43 Both 15
58 Freetown-Lakeville 1,920 13.9:1 10,920 87.5 N/A Both 8
59 North Andover 4,638 15.6:1 11,277 95.7 65 Half 14
60 Scituate 3,276 14.2:1 10,992 92.7 51 Half 13
61 King Philip Regional 2,142 17.6:1 11,742 87.1 46 None 17
62 Pentucket 3,129 14.3:1 10,751 88.9 44 Half 11
63 Framingham 8,182 12.6:1 15,675 84 57 Both 18
64 Carver 1,785 13.7:1 11,521 84.3 30 Both 9
65 Marshfield 4,671 14.6:1 10,054 94 54 Full 17
66 Franklin 6,032 14.7:1 10,326 95.8 52 Half 15
67 Easton 3,893 15:1 10,201 93.4 46 Half 10
68 Millis 1,465 15.7:1 10,391 93.3 33 Half 7
69 Stoneham 2,550 13.3:1 11,577 92.3 24 Half 10
70 Danvers 3,637 14:1 12,626 89.4 57 None 15
71 Milton 3,921 15.3:1 11,792 92.5 55 Both 18
72 West Bridgewater 1,299 16.2:1 9,926 94.8 20 Half 9
73 Norwood 3,454 12.8:1 12,790 89 52 Half 18
74 Braintree 5,467 14.2:1 10,927 92.5 62 N/A 18
75 Hull 1,164 14.1:1 13,009 84.9 25 Full 8
76 Hudson 2,993 13.6:1 11,879 82.4 56 Half 15
77 Chelmsford 5,307 15.8:1 10,550 89.4 71 Half 13
78 Dartmouth 3,964 14.9:1 10,703 91.6 44 None 17
79 Wilmington 3,732 13.8:1 11,573 91.1 50 Half 5
80 Stoughton 3,777 12.7:1 11,605 81.9 40 Full 12
81 Plymouth 8,126 13.9:1 12,562 88.5 94 Half 34
82 Triton Regional 3,059 14.6:1 11,503 88.3 45 Half 11
83 Marlborough 4,573 12.9:1 13,825 84.4 63 Both 22
84 Mansfield 4,826 16.3:1 9,947 91.8 55 Half 12
85 Maynard 1,312 14.4:1 13,321 84.3 26 Both 10
86 Norton 2,780 15.4:1 10,932 82.6 29 Both 9
87 Gloucester 3,203 13.3:1 12,844 86.5 41 Half 11
88 Winthrop 1,961 13.8:1 11,089 78.1 38 Half 9
89 Beverly 4,251 14.2:1 12,259 86 46 Half 14
90 East Bridgewater 2,314 16.2:1 9,989 95.9 26 Half 7
91 Pembroke 3,378 16.3:1 9,953 95 45 Half 15
92 Amesbury 2,385 14.4:1 12,384 82 15 Half 5
93 Billerica 5,792 14.7:1 12,006 87.1 57 Half 10
94 Melrose 3,775 15.8:1 10,493 93.6 35 Both 13
95 Seekonk 2,141 14.9:1 11,353 88.5 37 Half 5
96 North Attleborough 4,692 16.4:1 9,837 88.8 48 Half 7
97 Whitman-Hanson Regional 2,275 17:1 10,204 86.7 43 Both 8
98 Medford 4,849 14.3:1 12,818 78 43 Both 15
99 Middleborough 3,457 15.4:1 11,576 82.6 39 Half 11
100 Swansea 2,038 14.1:1 10,586 96.4 55 Full 3
101 Avon 772 11.9:1 12,747 88.9 16 Half 3
102 Dighton-Rehoboth 3,186 14.8:1 10,416 88.7 28 Half 5
103 Abington 2,016 17.2:1 10,247 86.8 25 Half 5
104 Tewksbury 4,049 16.6:1 10,926 84 43 Half 8
105 Fair Haven 1,984 14.4:1 11,274 72.6 36 Half 9
106 Weymouth 6,935 15.4:1 11,183 81.5 54 Both 18
107 Woburn 4,809 12.9:1 14,024 86.2 45 Half 10
108 Quincy 9,125 13.2:1 13,942 83.1 24 Full 36
109 Westport 1,835 15.4:1 10,594 82 24 Both 5
110 Wareham 3,084 13.2:1 11,652 77.9 36 Full 15
111 Randolph 2,876 13.1:1 14,994 66.7 24 Half 11
112 Saugus 2,849 14:1 11,769 80.5 59 Both 8
113 Dracut 4,018 17:1 9,876 83.4 51 Half 8
114 Bellingham 2,567 15.3:1 10,656 81.4 32 Half 5
115 Salem 4,565 11:1 13,867 79.1 40 Half 13
116 Methuen 7,112 14.6:1 10,912 79.2 59 Half 25
117 Peabody 6,075 14.4:1 13,351 77.6 41 Full 14
118 Somerville 4,855 12.4:1 15,937 72.6 46 Full 10
119 Malden 6,565 14.7:1 12,400 71.7 41 Both 19
120 Attleboro 5,855 15.5:1 11,217 82.2 41 Half 12
121 Rockland 2,260 16.3:1 12,047 79.6 33 Half 5
122 Everett 6,142 14.2:1 12,441 76.8 41 Full 41
123 Haverhill 6,804 15:1 11,484 66.2 49 Half 15
124 Bridgewater-Raynham 5,707 19.9:1 10,525 92.5 42 Half 8
125 Revere 6,229 14.5:1 12,779 69 30 None 13
126 Taunton 7,912 15.7:1 10,828 76.3 52 Half 13
127 Boston 56,037 13.3:1 16,666 63.2 196 Both 155
128 Holbrook 1,187 13.7:1 12,873 65.5 16 Half 4
129 Lowell 13,600 13.7:1 12,899 69.4 63 Half 14
130 Fall River 9,873 14.2:1 13,284 66.2 29 Both 14
131 Lynn 13,547 14.8:1 13,158 68.5 57 Full 14
132 Chelsea 5,570 13.4:1 13,411 53.3 21 Half 13
133 Brockton 15,828 14.1:1 12,382 66.7 44 None 11
134 New Bedford 12,538 14.1:1 12,874 53.5 46 Full 23
135 Lawrence 12,784 13.2:1 13,955 46.7 21 Half N/A
Research By: Mara Berg, Laura Biedron, Caitlin Bueller, Stephanie Horst, Rebecca Klein, Chris Malloy, Ursula Munn, Hannah Sawyer, Gillian Smith, and Lindsay Tucker
METHODOLOGY
Our rankings were computed by statistician George Recck, director of the Math Resources Center at Babson College. We gathered the most recent available data on area school districts by consulting school officials and websites, as well as the Massachusetts Department of Education. With this information, Recck calculated the mean scores for each category, then ranked the districts based on a weighted average of each school data point's difference from the mean.