High Schools in Waltham

Waltham, Massachusetts has two high schools serving grades 9–12 — Waltham Senior High and Waltham Valor High School — both within the Waltham district, which is ranked 231 of 351 schools at the 34th percentile with 2 stars. Combined enrollment is 1,840 students, but the two schools are very different in size: Waltham Senior High enrolls 1,791 students (about 97% of the total), while Waltham Valor High School enrolls just 49. Because both schools share the same district rating, that district summary hides major differences between them.

Waltham Senior High is the large comprehensive high school and the only one with a visible academic trend. Its state rank improved from 253 of 348 in 2023–2024 to 224 of 353 in 2025–2026, with its percentile rising from 27 to 37 and stars from 1 to 2. It scores above the Waltham district in every reported MCAS subject, but remains below the state in all of them. Mathematics is the bright spot: 10th grade proficiency rose 6.56 points year over year to 37.84% and is only 5.89 points below the state. Science and Physics are the weakest areas, trailing the state by 13.70 and 17.39 points respectively. Its graduation rate is 79.3% and dropout rate 15.5%, both better than the district, and it spends $22,250 per student.

Waltham Valor High School stands out for its small size and very different outcomes. Its graduation rate is 30.0% — 44.5 points below the district's 74.5% — and its dropout rate is 35.0%, 18.2 points above the district's 16.8%. Student-teacher ratios are similar (9.8 at Valor versus 10.4 at Waltham Senior High), so staffing alone does not explain the gap. With only 49 students, these rates can swing widely and should be read with caution. No MCAS scores, individual rank, or spending figure is available for the school, and free/reduced lunch data is missing for both schools.