Summary:
Reading, Massachusetts is served by a single K–12 system, the Reading district, made up of 8 schools: five elementary schools (K–5), two middle schools (6–8), and one high school (9–12), with 3,720 students enrolled across them. The district ranks 43rd of 351 statewide (88th percentile, 4 stars), and every one of the eight schools scores above the state average in every subject tested — often by 15 to 40 points.
The academic standout is Joshua Eaton, ranked 16 of 899 elementary schools (98th percentile, 5 stars), with ELA 79.19%, Math 76.65%, and Science 77.78% — roughly double the state in each. Among middle schools, Arthur W Coolidge Middle (92nd percentile, 5 stars) outperforms Walter S Parker Middle in every subject, by 7.1 points in ELA, 12.3 in Math, and 12.7 in Science. Wood End Elementary School is the most lopsided, strong in Math (72.73%) but lower in ELA (55.45%). Birch Meadow is the lowest-ranked school (73rd percentile) and has declined three years running, though it still beats state averages.
At the high school level, Reading Memorial High (78th percentile, 4 stars) posts a 98.5% graduation rate and a 0.4% dropout rate, with Science (48.15% in 10th grade) its weakest margin over state. Two caveats matter: free/reduced-price lunch data is blank for all eight schools, so income context can't be factored in, and spending figures are from 2020–2021. Notably, the highest-spending schools, Birch Meadow ($17,870) and Wood End Elementary School ($17,515), are the lowest-ranked elementaries, while the lowest-spending, Joshua Eaton ($14,330), is the top performer — a pattern worth noting, but not proof of cause and effect.
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