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Best Public Schools in Chelmsford, MA

At a glance

Schools

3,110

Students

Districts

Top rankedSouth Row131^st of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Byam School up 55 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

McCarthy Middle School 12.4 students per teacher

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Summary:

Chelmsford, Massachusetts has six schools at Chelmsford addresses: three K–4 elementary schools, two middle schools serving grades 5–6 and 7–8, and one PK–12 alternative school that belongs to the neighboring Lowell district rather than Chelmsford. Together they enroll about 3,110 students, with 3,040 in Chelmsford district schools (1,454 elementary and 1,586 middle). The Chelmsford district ranks 73rd of 351 districts statewide — the 79th percentile — with 4 stars, while the alternative school's district, Lowell, ranks 273rd of 351 at the 22nd percentile with 1 star.

South Row is the standout elementary school, posting the highest math score in the list (67.05) and strong ELA (59.30), with the top school rank among Chelmsford schools at the 85th percentile, up from the 78th percentile in 2023–2024. Byam School is close behind in ELA (59.11) and also improved its rank. Among middle schools, McCarthy Middle School is strong in science (62.76) and 8th grade civics (52.49) and has climbed to the 82nd percentile, while Col Moses Parker School has excellent 6th grade ELA (61.78) and math (65.18) but much weaker 5th grade math (44.71). Center Elementary School is the most uneven — math above the district average but the lowest ELA among Chelmsford schools, with a rank that slipped from the 77th to the 72nd percentile.

Every reported 2025–2026 Chelmsford school score in ELA, math, science, and civics is above the Massachusetts state level. The clearest district-wide pattern is that ELA proficiency fell at all five Chelmsford schools from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, while math proficiency rose at all five. Per-pupil spending ranges from $15,720 to $16,986 and student-teacher ratios from 12.4 to 13.3, with no simple link to outcomes. Dr. Janice Adie Day School is a major outlier: an alternative PK–12 school of 70 students with 0% reported proficiency, $40,026 per-pupil spending, and a 4.6 student-teacher ratio, so comparisons are misleading. Free/reduced-lunch data is blank for all six schools, so socioeconomic context cannot be analyzed here.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts (2026)							MCAS Next Generation Mathematics (2026)							MCAS Next Generation Science (2026)			MCAS Next Generation Civics (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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	Directly certified (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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 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 All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Science 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Civics 8th Grade	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Byam School	Public	K-4	25 Maple Road	Chelmsford	01824	Middlesex County	Chelmsford	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 251-5144	510	39	12.9	17.8%	332 (65.1%)	19 (3.7%)	57 (11.2%)	74 (14.5%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	24 (4.7%)	77.9	191^st of 899 public elementary schools	78.8%		73.1	246^th of 906 public elementary schools	72.8%	55	63.7	54.5					59.1	51.5	59.8					55.6					99%	1%	$17,473
Col Moses Parker School	Public	5-6	75 Graniteville Rd	Chelmsford	01824	Middlesex County	Chelmsford	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 251-5133	778	62	12.5	16.3%	508 (65.3%)	24 (3.1%)	69 (8.9%)	147 (18.9%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (3.3%)								(n/a)			48.3	61.8			54.8			44.7	65.2			54.5	58.9		58.9				$17,394
McCarthy Middle School	Public	7-8	250 North Rd	Chelmsford	01824	Middlesex County	Chelmsford	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 251-5122	808	65	12.4	19.7%	509 (63.0%)	36 (4.5%)	63 (7.8%)	164 (20.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	34 (4.2%)	79.8	88^th of 478 public middle schools	81.6%		77.8	97^th of 484 public middle schools	80.0%	9					48.4	58.2	53.3					51.0	59.6	55.2		62.8	62.8	52.5			$17,715
South Row	Public	K-4	250 Boston Rd	Chelmsford	01824	Middlesex County	Chelmsford	No	No	No	No	(978) 251-5177	464	35	13.3	11.2%	304 (65.5%)	14 (3.0%)	39 (8.4%)	78 (16.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.0%)	84.5	131^st of 899 public elementary schools	85.4%		82.8	147^th of 906 public elementary schools	83.8%	16	67.9	51.7					59.3	75.3	59.8					67.1					96%	3%	$16,944
Center Elementary School	Public	K-4	84 Billerica Road	Chelmsford	01824	Middlesex County	Chelmsford	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 251-5155	480	37	12.8	13.8%	296 (61.7%)	25 (5.2%)	36 (7.5%)	99 (20.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	22 (4.6%)	71.9	248^th of 899 public elementary schools	72.4%		72.4	252^nd of 906 public elementary schools	72.2%	4	50.0	52.6					51.4	46.3	65.6					56.8					98%	0%	$17,135
Dr. Janice Adie Day School	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	60 Carlisle Street	Chelmsford	01851	Middlesex County	Lowell	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 674-2405	70	15	4.6	68.6%	21 (30.0%)	12 (17.1%)	26 (37.1%)	8 (11.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.3%)								(n/a)							0.0							0.0							$48,430

Cities Near Chelmsford

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
North Chelmsford	0.57 mi	2	127^th
Lowell	0.97 mi	29	305^th
Tyngsborough	2.38 mi	4	197^th
Westford	3.09 mi	10	61^st
Tyngsboro	3.32 mi	1	221^st

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.