Middle Schools in Chelmsford

Chelmsford, Massachusetts has two middle schools — Col Moses Parker School, serving grades 5–6 with 778 students, and McCarthy Middle School, serving grades 7–8 with 808 students — together enrolling 1,586 students and forming a single middle-grade pipeline rather than two competing schools. Parker feeds directly into McCarthy, so comparisons between them are really comparisons of two different grade bands. The Chelmsford district holds a 4-star rating and ranks 73rd of 351 Massachusetts districts, roughly the 79th percentile.

Both schools are strong, stable performers. Every reported test result at both schools — all grades, all subjects, both years, 26 of 26 figures — exceeds the Massachusetts state average. On 2025-26 results, McCarthy and Parker each run about 15–16 points above the state across English language arts, math, and science, and both have earned 4 stars in all seven years of ranking history, staying between the 79th and 83rd percentile. An enrollment-weighted blend of the two schools' scores closely matches the reported district averages, meaning these two schools essentially are the district's middle-grade performance.

The most useful pattern for parents is that results track grade level more than school. Parker's 6th grade posts the highest figures anywhere in the data set (65.18% proficient in math, 61.78% in ELA), while its 5th grade math (44.71%) is the lowest figure reported and its thinnest margin over the state. Likewise, McCarthy's 8th grade outperforms its 7th grade in every subject. One signal worth monitoring: ELA declined at both schools by more than the state did, though both remain well above it. Two caveats — free/reduced-price lunch is not reported for either school, and the spending figures are from 2020-21.