Middle Schools in Newton

Newton has two middle schools serving grades 5–8: Santa Fe 5/6 Center serves grades 5–6, and Chisholm Middle School serves grades 7–8. In 2025–26, Santa Fe’s all-grades proficiency rates were higher in ELA, math, and science, and it was above the state rate in science. Chisholm fell below the state in all three subjects. The central takeaway is a sharp split: Santa Fe’s results were substantially closer to state levels, while Chisholm’s were well below them.

Santa Fe stands out, especially in science: its rates were 36% in ELA, 35% in math, and 48% in science, compared with 25%, 15%, and 26% at Chisholm. Santa Fe led by 11 percentage points in ELA, 20 in math, and 22 in science. Against state results, Santa Fe was 10 points lower in ELA and 6 lower in math, but 9 higher in science; Chisholm was lower by 21, 26, and 12 points, respectively. Grade-level results also matter: Santa Fe’s grade 5 science rate was 48%, versus 46% statewide, while Chisholm’s grade 7 and grade 8 math rates were 16% and 15%, compared with 38% and 40% statewide. Because these schools serve different grades, their schoolwide scores are not a like-for-like comparison of students in the same grade.

The schools’ results moved in opposite directions from 2024–25 to 2025–26. Santa Fe improved by 7 percentage points in ELA, 10 in math, and 9 in science, while Chisholm declined by 4, 7, and 8 points. SchoolDigger ranked Chisholm 337th of 368 schools, in the 8th percentile, in 2025–26, compared with 293rd of 363, in the 19th percentile, the prior year. Attendance also differed: chronic absenteeism was 18% at Santa Fe and 31% at Chisholm. Other available context does not match the score pattern neatly: Chisholm had a lower student-teacher ratio, 11.6 versus 13.1, while free/reduced-lunch rates were similar at 63% and 65%, respectively.