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Best Public Schools in Shirley, MA

At a glance

Schools

767

Students

Top rankedAyer Shirley Regional Middle School162^nd of 484 Massachusetts middle schools

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Biggest riser

Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School up 32 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

The city of Shirley, Massachusetts is home to two schools: Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School and Lura A. White Elementary School. These schools serve students from grades 5-8 and K-4, respectively, within the Ayer Shirley School District.

Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School stands out as a strong performer, ranking in the top third of Massachusetts middle schools and earning a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school consistently outperforms state and district averages on MCAS tests, particularly in 8th grade English Language Arts and Science. In contrast, Lura A. White Elementary School has more mixed results, with a lower ranking but still a 2-star rating. However, the elementary school's 4th and 5th grade students do outperform the district and state in English Language Arts and Mathematics.

Both schools have relatively small student-teacher ratios, with Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School at 11.4 students per teacher and Lura A. White Elementary School at 11.8 students per teacher. Interestingly, the elementary school spends more per student ($19,027) compared to the middle school ($17,653). Overall, the data suggests that Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School is the standout performer in the Shirley school system, while Lura A. White Elementary School has room for improvement, particularly in the lower grades.

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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 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 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 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	Total
Lura A. White Elementary School	Public	K-5	34 Lancaster Road	Shirley	01464	Middlesex County	Ayer Shirley School District	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 772-8600	357	31	11.5		261 (73.1%)	25 (7.0%)	40 (11.2%)	12 (3.4%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.6%)	46.6	487^th of 906 public elementary schools	46.2%		54.5	422^nd of 916 public elementary schools	53.9%	65	27.9	43.6	42.1				37.6	29.5	47.3	44.6				40.1	48.2		48.2		$19,503
Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School	Public	6-8	1 Hospital Road	Shirley	01464	Middlesex County	Ayer Shirley School District	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 772-8600	410	33	12.4		286 (69.8%)	29 (7.1%)	62 (15.1%)	9 (2.2%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (5.1%)	64.1	162^nd of 484 public middle schools	66.5%		56.3	194^th of 493 public middle schools	60.6%	32				43.0	37.6	56.3	45.6				45.1	36.0	38.5	40.0		62.6	62.6	52.5	$18,922

Cities Near Shirley

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Devens	2.77 mi	1	69^th
Lunenburg	3.31 mi	5	145^th
Ayer	3.39 mi	2	212^th
Groton	4.23 mi	4	53^rd
Leominster	4.51 mi	13	266^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.