Memorial Spaulding Elementary in Newton Centre scored 97.91 out of 100 in the 2027 U.S. News Best Elementary Schools rankings, making it the highest-rated elementary school in Newton.
The K-5 school on Brookline Street placed 21st out of 956 ranked elementary schools in Massachusetts. That puts it in the top 3% statewide, according to the rankings.
Memorial Spaulding's students outperformed both district and state averages on standardized tests. Seventy-six percent scored at or above the proficient level in math, and 71% reached that mark in reading. Across Newton's elementary schools, 68% of students hit proficiency in math and 62% in reading. Statewide, those figures drop to 43% and 39%.
The school earned "Well Above Expectations" ratings in both math and reading performance, which measures results against what U.S. News models would predict given a school's demographics.
Memorial Spaulding serves 342 students with 34 full-time teachers, a 10:1 student-teacher ratio. Ninety-five percent of those teachers are certified, according to the U.S. News profile.
Newton's second-highest-ranked elementary school, Lincoln-Eliot, placed 139th statewide with a score of 85.45 out of 100. Lincoln-Eliot has a 9:1 student-teacher ratio and 336 students. Sixty-seven percent of its students scored proficient or above in math, and 56% did so in reading.
How the rankings work
U.S. News ranked 46,713 elementary schools nationwide using 2023-2024 state assessment data collected by RTI International. Schools were scored on four equally weighted factors: math proficiency, math performance, reading proficiency and reading performance. Half the formula measured raw test scores. The other half factored in socioeconomic demographics.
There is no national ranking. Schools are ranked only within their state and district.
The Newton district includes 22 schools and 11,632 students across 15 elementary schools, four middle schools and two high schools. The district spends $27,812 per student each year, according to the U.S. News district profile.
Massachusetts top 10 elementary schools
For comparison, here are the 10 highest-ranked public elementary schools statewide, according to the U.S. News Massachusetts rankings:
- Martin Luther King Jr. — Cambridge
- Chilmark Elementary — Chilmark
- John D Hardy — Wellesley
- Woodland — Weston
- Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School — Cambridge
- Country — Weston
- Maria L. Baldwin — Cambridge
- Eliot K-8 Innovation School — Boston
- Paul P Gates Elementary School — Acton
- Joseph Estabrook — Lexington
Cambridge placed three schools in the top 10. Weston placed two. No Newton school cracked the top 10, though Memorial Spaulding's 21st-place finish puts it close.
