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William F. Stanley Elementary School

Q: Is William F. Stanley Elementary School a good school?

William F. Stanley Elementary School ranks 591 st of 906 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

591^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 906 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 35% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

William F. Stanley Elementary School is a public school in Waltham, MA, serving 381 students from Pre-K through 5th grade within the Waltham Public School District.

Stanley Elementary stands out for its exceptional performance in Science, where 47% of 5th graders were proficient in 2024-2025—a rate that is higher than the state average and the highest among all Waltham elementary schools, including Dual Language School (44%) and Thomas R Plympton Elementary School (29%). However, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (31%) and Math (32%) fall below both district and state averages. This creates a unique profile where the school is a top performer in one subject but struggles in core areas. Interestingly, Stanley spends more per student ($27,565) than nearby high-performing schools like C C Burr in Newton ($21,241) and Field Elementary School in Weston, and has a very low student-teacher ratio of 8.4:1. Despite this high investment, academic outcomes remain lower, suggesting challenges beyond funding or class size.

The school has shown a positive long-term trend, climbing from a 1-star rating a decade ago to a consistent 2-star rating. However, there are significant areas of concern. Performance for English Language Learner (ELL) students has dropped sharply from the 44th percentile in 2022-2023 to the 12th percentile in 2024-2025, and Special Education students have seen a similar decline from the 52nd to the 28th percentile. Additionally, 3rd and 4th grade proficiency rates are notably below the district average in both ELA and Math, while 5th grade performs better. For parents, this means Stanley offers a strong science program and a history of improvement, but families of ELL or Special Education students may want to investigate the support systems in place, and those concerned about early elementary reading and math should look closely at grade-level data.

381

Students ?

8.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$32,435

Per pupil spending ?

52.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

250 South Street
Waltham, MA 02453

(781) 314-5620

District: Waltham

Students who attend William F. Stanley Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	John W. McDevitt Middle School
High:	Waltham Senior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

49.6%

White:

26.5%

African American:

12.3%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare William F. Stanley Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 25th percentile in 2015 → 35th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Massachusetts average (34% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!English Language Arts scores 10 pts below the Massachusetts average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg39%

Massachusetts avg41%

591^st of 906

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Bottom 35%▲ up 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 25% (2015) to bottom 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Waltham

240^th of 348Waltham among Massachusetts districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	35.4	591 of 906	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.2	552 of 916	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.1	536 of 928	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.8	573 of 932	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.5	611 of 936	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.8	583 of 942	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.0	652 of 934	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	22.9	763 of 938	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	29.7	705 of 932	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	30.8	681 of 914	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	46.2	554 of 926	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	46.4	541 of 928	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	39.6	609 of 930	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	44.8	567 of 924	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	26.4	718 of 920	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	29.4	694 of 909	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	46.2	543 of 908	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	46.6	538 of 911	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	52.9	457 of 911	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2005	50.9	460 of 887	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	58.6	401 of 882	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2003	42.2	558 of 884	36.9%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	34.8	417 of 672	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.6	244 of 632	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.8	212 of 665	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.4	279 of 656	57.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	26.9	246 of 281	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.7	219 of 282	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.3	148 of 264	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.4	208 of 267	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.7	210 of 240	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.8	150 of 258	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.6	126 of 244	48.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	40.9	512 of 869	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.3	619 of 886	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.4	497 of 887	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.2	532 of 901	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.7	592 of 898	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.0	612 of 902	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.9	623 of 893	30.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	25.7	379 of 458	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.8	227 of 446	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.2	298 of 420	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.5	231 of 401	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.4	166 of 379	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.6	126 of 398	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.0	214 of 379	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	43.2	417 of 736	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.8	555 of 760	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.8	649 of 757	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.3	558 of 772	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.9	493 of 705	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.5	402 of 700	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.0	501 of 685	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	30.7	616 of 884	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.2	454 of 891	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.1	543 of 896	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.3	572 of 908	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.7	556 of 904	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.8	508 of 907	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.9	631 of 898	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	30.1	513 of 717	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	46.1	340 of 731	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.2	334 of 703	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	29.8	677 of 905	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.5	622 of 894	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.5	456 of 896	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.9	627 of 886	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	35.5	616 of 925	33.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	60.2	292 of 737	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.0	252 of 753	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	77.5	141 of 762	81.5%	★★★★☆
2022	73.0	166 of 764	78.3%	★★★★☆
2021	67.0	231 of 765	69.8%	★★★★☆
2019	58.3	328 of 780	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.8	421 of 772	45.5%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

White (2025)60th percentile+26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)43rd percentile+9 vs school

Female (2025)41st percentile+6 vs school

Disabled (2022)38th percentile~ school

Tested In Person (2021)33rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)30th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)28th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)17th percentile-18 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)12th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?

Science47%+6 vs state

Mathematics32%-9 vs state

English Language Arts31%-10 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, November 13, 2018

The school has wonderful teachers, diverse student body and is housed in a newer well equiped building. Test scores don’t reflect the whole story. Close Quote

Schools Near William F. Stanley Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts (2025)				MCAS Next Generation Mathematics (2025)				MCAS Next Generation Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Science 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science All Grades	Total
William F. Stanley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	250 South Street	Waltham	02453	Middlesex County	Waltham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 314-5620	381	45	8.4		101 (26.5%)	47 (12.3%)	189 (49.6%)	30 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.7%)	35.4	591^st of 906 public elementary schools	34.8%		41.2	552^nd of 916 public elementary schools	39.7%	39	26.2	25.5	40.0	31.1	28.6	34.0	32.7	32.0	47.3	47.3	$32,435
C C Burr	Public	K-5	171 Pine Street	Auburndale	02466	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 559-9360	350	31	11.1		169 (48.3%)	16 (4.6%)	49 (14.0%)	82 (23.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (8.3%)	93.6	42^nd of 906 public elementary schools	95.4%		84.3	131^st of 916 public elementary schools	85.7%	89	71.2	68.5	67.2	69.0	78.0	75.9	77.1	77.0	77.1	77.1	$24,527
Henry Whittemore Elementary School	Public	K-5	30 Parmenter Road	Waltham	02453	Middlesex County	Waltham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 314-5785	372	41	9.0		40 (10.8%)	18 (4.8%)	287 (77.2%)	14 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.5%)	27.2	658^th of 906 public elementary schools	27.4%		22.7	711^th of 916 public elementary schools	22.4%	53	22.2	34.7	25.7	27.2	29.6	49.0	25.7	33.5	18.6	18.6	$25,757
Thomas R Plympton Elementary School	Public	K-5	20 Farnsworth Street	Waltham	02451	Middlesex County	Waltham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 314-5760	357	35	10.1		139 (38.9%)	48 (13.4%)	136 (38.1%)	15 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.3%)	38.3	567^th of 906 public elementary schools	37.4%		25.9	678^th of 916 public elementary schools	26.0%	111	50.0	27.3	31.8	36.7	48.2	40.9	22.6	36.3	29.0	29.0	$25,849
Franklin	Public	K-5	125 Derby Street	West Newton	02465	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-9500	320	32	9.8		190 (59.4%)	12 (3.8%)	41 (12.8%)	48 (15.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.8%)	74.9	230^th of 906 public elementary schools	74.6%		79	195^th of 916 public elementary schools	78.7%	35	42.0	56.2	71.0	57.3	40.8	52.1	67.7	54.4	74.2	74.2	$24,300
Williams	Public	K-5	141 Grove Street	Auburndale	02466	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-6480	211	25	8.5		98 (46.4%)	6 (2.8%)	19 (9.0%)	75 (35.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (6.2%)	84.8	128^th of 906 public elementary schools	85.9%		76.9	222^nd of 916 public elementary schools	75.8%	94	68.4	61.8	63.9	64.8	68.4	70.6	50.0	63.0	63.9	63.9	$28,279
Peirce	Public	K-5	170 Temple Street	West Newton	02465	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-9630	249	21	11.7		140 (56.2%)	10 (4.0%)	31 (12.4%)	44 (17.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (9.2%)	89.3	79^th of 906 public elementary schools	91.3%		90.5	66^th of 916 public elementary schools	92.8%	13	70.3	59.5	66.7	65.5	67.6	67.6	75.0	70.2	70.0	70.0	$27,945
Dual Language School	Public	K-5	617 Lexington St	Waltham	02452	Middlesex County	Waltham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 314-5402	222	17	13.1		41 (18.5%)	5 (2.3%)	161 (72.5%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.4%)	41.4	536^th of 906 public elementary schools	40.8%		44.1	526^th of 916 public elementary schools	42.6%	10	31.6	23.5	50.0	34.9	26.3	44.1	44.1	37.7	44.1	44.1	$23,410
Horace Mann	Public	K-5	225 Nevada Street	Newtonville	02460	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-9510	351	33	10.5		187 (53.3%)	18 (5.1%)	39 (11.1%)	64 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (12.0%)	78.1	203^rd of 906 public elementary schools	77.6%		76.4	232^nd of 916 public elementary schools	74.7%	29	49.2	46.7	64.3	53.9	55.0	63.3	65.7	61.6	68.6	68.6	$23,213
Field Elementary School	Public	4-5	16 Alphabet Lane	Weston	02493	Middlesex County	Weston	No	No	No	No	(781) 786-5500	317	24	13.4		195 (61.5%)	17 (5.4%)	21 (6.6%)	63 (19.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.6%)	95.3	20^th of 906 public elementary schools	97.8%		96.6	8^th of 916 public elementary schools	99.1%	12		74.8	78.1	76.4		76.0	76.8	76.4	76.8	76.8	$27,360

Frequently Asked Questions about William F. Stanley Elementary School

What schools do graduates of William F. Stanley Elementary School attend?

Students who attend William F. Stanley Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : John W. McDevitt Middle School
High : Waltham Senior High

How many students attend William F. Stanley Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 381 students attended William F. Stanley Elementary School.

Is William F. Stanley Elementary School a good school?

William F. Stanley Elementary School ranks 591^st of 906 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of William F. Stanley Elementary School?

Students at William F. Stanley Elementary School are 50% Hispanic, 27% White, 12% African American, 8% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

What district is William F. Stanley Elementary School in?

Waltham

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.