Best Public Schools in Arlington, MA

Summary:

The city of Arlington, Massachusetts is home to a high-performing school district with 11 schools, including 8 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school. The district is known for its exceptional academic performance, with multiple schools ranked among the top in the state.

Arlington High School stands out as the district's top performer, ranked 10th out of 349 Massachusetts high schools and earning a 5-star rating. The school boasts impressive test scores, with over 80% of 10th graders proficient or better in ELA, Math, and Science, as well as a 95% 4-year graduation rate and a low 1.2% dropout rate. Ottoson Middle School and John A. Bishop Elementary are also standout performers, ranking 4th and 38th in the state, respectively, and earning 5-star ratings.

The Arlington school district as a whole outperforms the state average on MCAS Next Generation assessments, with strong student-teacher ratios and per-student spending that ranges from $16,024 to $17,743. While the majority of schools in the district excel, there is some variation in elementary school performance, with Thompson and M. Norcross Stratton having slightly lower test scores compared to the top-performing elementary schools. Overall, the Arlington school district is a high-quality system that provides students with an exceptional educational experience.

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)				MCAS Next Generation Physics (2025)	MCAS Next Generation Civics (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 6th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 10th 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 6th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Science 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Physics All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Civics 8th Grade	Total
Arlington High	Public	9-12	869 Mass Avenue	Arlington	02476	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3591	1,677	123	13.6		1,156 (68.9%)	58 (3.5%)	150 (8.9%)	166 (9.9%)	2 (0.1%)	4 (0.2%)	110 (6.6%)	95.5	10^th of 349 public high schools	97.1%		91.9	23^rd of 348 public high schools	93.4%	13							81.7								82.0				83.9		73.3		$19,762
Brackett	Public	K-5	66 Eastern Avenue	Arlington	02476	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3705	394	30	13.1		248 (62.9%)	5 (1.3%)	28 (7.1%)	48 (12.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (16.2%)	86.5	111^th of 906 public elementary schools	87.7%		88.5	94^th of 916 public elementary schools	89.7%	17	61.5	72.2	58.7					64.7	53.9	66.7	62.5					61.7	87.5			87.5			$20,022
Cyrus E Dallin	Public	K-5	185 Florence Avenue	Arlington	02476	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3722	390	32	12.1		244 (62.6%)	4 (1.0%)	33 (8.5%)	63 (16.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (11.8%)	90.9	58^th of 906 public elementary schools	93.6%		83.4	138^th of 916 public elementary schools	84.9%	80	75.0	61.3	70.6					69.1	62.5	67.7	76.5					69.1	80.9			80.9			$19,254
Hardy	Public	K-5	52 Lake Street	Arlington	02474	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 316-3781	382	34	11.3		236 (61.8%)	9 (2.4%)	31 (8.1%)	55 (14.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (13.1%)	88.4	92^nd of 906 public elementary schools	89.8%		89.6	79^th of 916 public elementary schools	91.4%	13	69.6	61.8	68.5					66.9	64.3	67.3	65.5					65.6	72.2			72.2			$22,046
John A Bishop	Public	K-5	25 Columbia Road	Arlington	02474	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3791	375	30	12.3		251 (66.9%)	4 (1.1%)	26 (6.9%)	42 (11.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (13.9%)	93.9	38^th of 906 public elementary schools	95.8%		93.7	35^th of 916 public elementary schools	96.2%	3	72.5	72.7	79.7					74.9	71.0	65.2	78.1					71.4	93.8			93.8			$19,771
M Norcross Stratton	Public	K-5	180 Mountain Avenue	Arlington	02174	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 316-3754	448	37	12.2		243 (54.2%)	15 (3.3%)	39 (8.7%)	97 (21.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (11.6%)	82.3	154^th of 906 public elementary schools	83.0%		87.9	101^st of 916 public elementary schools	89.0%	53	56.6	60.8	56.6					57.9	57.3	69.9	62.7					63.0	68.7			68.7			$19,449
Ottoson Middle	Public	7-8	63 Acton Street	Arlington	02476	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3745	963	85	11.3		651 (67.6%)	28 (2.9%)	82 (8.5%)	132 (13.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (6.4%)	97.2	4^th of 484 public middle schools	99.2%		96.4	12^th of 493 public middle schools	97.6%	8					77.6	81.6		79.7					75.7	75.7		75.7		75.3		75.3		79.1	$20,016
Peirce	Public	K-5	85 Park Avenue Ext	Arlington	02174	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 316-3736	318	24	13.1		196 (61.6%)	14 (4.4%)	35 (11.0%)	44 (13.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.8%)	93.9	36^th of 906 public elementary schools	96.0%		91.9	53^rd of 916 public elementary schools	94.2%	17	77.1	65.6	84.0					74.8	76.6	65.6	80.0					73.4	88.0			88.0			$20,103
Thompson	Public	K-5	187 Everett Street	Arlington	02474	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 316-3768	537	39	13.6		325 (60.5%)	25 (4.7%)	49 (9.1%)	71 (13.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (12.1%)	80.5	177^th of 906 public elementary schools	80.5%		88.7	89^th of 916 public elementary schools	90.3%	88	53.3	72.9	62.8					62.9	55.0	69.1	46.3					56.8	72.8			72.8			$18,528
Gibbs School	Public	6	41 Foster Street	Arlington	02474	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-9003	529	43	12.4		354 (66.9%)	24 (4.5%)	37 (7.0%)	56 (10.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (10.4%)								(n/a)				70.6				70.6				70.4				70.4							$20,737

Cities Near Arlington

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Belmont	1.51 mi	7	2^nd
Medford	1.54 mi	8	232^nd
Winchester	1.73 mi	7	10^th
Somerville	1.89 mi	11	247^th
Cambridge	2.39 mi	20	107^th

See the top MA Massachusetts cities

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.