Summary:
Acton, Massachusetts has seven public schools — five elementary schools serving K–6, one junior high serving grades 7–8, and one high school serving grades 9–12 — all part of the Acton-Boxborough district, which enrolls about 4,470 students. The district ranks in the 87th percentile statewide, and notably, every single school here beats the Massachusetts average in ELA, math, and science at the all-grades level — even the lowest-ranked building. One data caveat for parents: free/reduced-lunch information is blank for all seven schools, so poverty context isn't available in this file, and per-student spending figures date to 2020-2021.
Three schools stand out as genuinely elite. Paul P Gates Elementary School ranks 8th of 899 elementary schools (99th percentile, 5 stars) and has been top-25 in the state for three straight years, with 5th grade science at 97.5% proficient versus 43.07% statewide. Acton-Boxborough Regional High ranks 6th of 353 high schools (98th percentile) with a 96.4% graduation rate and 1.5% dropout rate, and improved in all three subjects year over year. Raymond J Grey Junior High sits at 12th of 478 (97th percentile), while Luther Conant School holds 5 stars across three years.
The real story for families is unevenness within the district. Elementary all-grades ELA spans 30.4 points, from 77.93% at Gates down to 47.56% at Merriam School — and spending differences under $300 per student don't explain it. McCarthy-Towne School and Merriam are the lowest-ranked (67th and 62nd percentile) and both are declining; Merriam is the only Acton school with grade-level results below the state. C.T. Douglas Elementary School sits in the middle at 73rd percentile. District-wide, 4th grade ELA is the weakest grade and 6th grade the strongest in every elementary.
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