Best Elementary Schools in Reading, MA

Reading, Massachusetts has five elementary schools — Alice M Barrows, Birch Meadow, J Warren Killam, Joshua Eaton, and Wood End Elementary School — all serving grades K–5 within the Reading district, which ranks 43rd of 351 Massachusetts districts (88th percentile, 4 stars). Together they enroll 1,754 students, from 406 at J Warren Killam down to 236 at Wood End Elementary School, an average of about 351. Every school exceeds the state average in every reported all-grade subject, and most top the district average in at least one subject — though results vary widely, with three-subject averages spanning 54.28 to 77.87 against a district figure of 63.80 and a state figure of 40.71.

Joshua Eaton is the standout: the only 5-star school, ranked 16th of 899 (98th percentile) and up from 92nd three years earlier. It leads every all-grade subject (ELA 79.19, math 76.65, science 77.78) and beats the district by 12 to 18 points in each. Alice M Barrows (120th of 899, 87th percentile) is next, above the district in all three subjects, with the highest grade-level math result in the group at 85.48 in 5th grade. Wood End Elementary School is more uneven: strong in math (72.73) and science (70.97), but below the district in ELA (55.45), including 4th grade ELA at 37.78 versus a district average of 61.09. J Warren Killam, the largest school, is above the district in science but below in ELA and math.

Birch Meadow is the lowest performer and the clearest concern: ranked 239th of 899, down from 185th two years earlier, and below the district in all three subjects (54.28 three-subject average). Notably, it has the highest per-pupil spending ($17,870, 2020–2021) and lowest student–teacher ratio (10.7), while Joshua Eaton reaches the top results with the lowest spending ($14,330) and highest ratio (13.7) — a striking contrast, though the spending and test-score years differ and this is not causal evidence. Free/reduced lunch data is not reported, and these are single-year snapshots. ELA is the district-wide soft spot: three schools fall below the district's 61.27 average.