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Knox Trail Middle School

Public Grades 5-8

374^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 478 Massachusetts Middle Schools

Better than 22% of Massachusetts middle schools

Summary

Knox Trail Middle School is a grades 5–8 school at 73 Ash Street in Spencer, Massachusetts, serving 415 students in the small-town Spencer-E Brookfield district. It sits in the lowest performance tier statewide: 374th of 478 middle schools in 2025-26 (22nd percentile, 1 star), while its district ranks 279th of 351 (21st percentile, 1 star). Knox Trail has earned one star in each of the last four years, with its percentile drifting from 26 to 25 to 23 to 22. Because its percentile is essentially the same as its district's, it is representative of Spencer-E Brookfield rather than an outlier within it.

In 2025-26, proficiency was roughly half the state level in every tested subject: 21.45% in English language arts (state 40.03%), 18.60% in math (state 41.11%), 20.11% in science (state 40.98%), and 21.50% in 8th-grade civics (state 39.77%). The school trails its own district in ELA, math, and science, and beats it only in civics. Against nearby schools it sits near the bottom of the local cluster — well behind Mountview Middle and Central Tree Middle in the Wachusett district, and behind Auburn Middle and Tantasqua Regional Junior High. The closest small-town peers, Leicester Middle and Charlton Middle, outperform Knox Trail in all four subjects by 3 to 17 points, and Oxford Middle more than doubles its math proficiency.

The pattern varies sharply by grade. Fifth grade — the school's entry point — is the weak spot, with 10.96% proficient in ELA and 8.22% in math against state rates near 38–40%, and it trails the 5th grades at Leicester and Charlton on the same exams. Because grade 5 is included, the all-grades averages are pulled down relative to schools that start at grade 6. Seventh grade is the relative bright spot, and civics is the school's one genuine strength — the only subject that improved year over year and the only one where it beats the district. Science is the clear decline, down about 9.5 points from its 2023-24 peak. Spending and staffing do not explain the local gap: Knox Trail spent $15,556 per student in 2020-21, more than Mountview and Auburn, while producing a fraction of their proficiency.

415

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,175

Per pupil spending ?

47.5%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students in Massachusetts receive free school meals.

73 Ash Street
Spencer, MA 01562-2349

(508) 885-8550

District: Spencer-E Brookfield

Students who attend Knox Trail Middle School usually attend:

High:

David Prouty High

Feeder schools for Knox Trail Middle School:

Elementary:

Wire Village School

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.9%

Hispanic:

22.2%

African American:

4.1%

See top rated Massachusetts middle schools

Compare Knox Trail Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 18th percentile in 2016 → 22nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Massachusetts average (20% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!Mathematics scores 23 pts below the Massachusetts average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school20%

District avg22%

Massachusetts avg41%

374^th of 478

Massachusetts public middle schools ?

Bottom 22%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

From bottom 18% (2016) to bottom 22% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

279^th of 351Spencer-E Brookfield among Massachusetts districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	22.1	374 of 478	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.3	375 of 484	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.6	366 of 493	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.1	376 of 501	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.4	305 of 497	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.4	342 of 501	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.4	346 of 498	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.8	315 of 484	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.3	289 of 487	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	22.2	393 of 482	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	34.0	312 of 441	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	37.9	302 of 455	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	31.1	333 of 455	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.4	331 of 455	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	24.3	357 of 449	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	27.6	337 of 434	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	41.2	270 of 409	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	42.6	255 of 407	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	34.2	284 of 399	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	44.5	246 of 399	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2005	38.6	234 of 356	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2004	41.8	213 of 344	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2003	35.6	236 of 339	30.4%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	30.1	298 of 445	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.2	306 of 431	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.5	309 of 424	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.4	306 of 417	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	21.2	367 of 468	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.3	384 of 473	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	379 of 481	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.2	369 of 489	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.1	278 of 494	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.9	310 of 483	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.4	380 of 478	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.2	338 of 463	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	26.7	302 of 383	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.1	279 of 376	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.5	252 of 378	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.7	218 of 364	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.0	197 of 368	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.2	160 of 335	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	26.9	252 of 322	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.8	178 of 309	42.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	30.9	325 of 461	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.8	355 of 464	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.5	362 of 469	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.7	357 of 481	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.1	259 of 489	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.8	297 of 462	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.4	237 of 452	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.6	227 of 438	48.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	24.0	362 of 470	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.4	357 of 473	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.1	342 of 483	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.6	363 of 489	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.3	327 of 497	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.0	358 of 485	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.2	298 of 478	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.1	284 of 466	39.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	27.1	322 of 436	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.0	298 of 435	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	18.1	422 of 441	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	30.0	296 of 444	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.6	283 of 503	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.2	326 of 489	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.3	279 of 484	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.6	266 of 467	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	29.1	344 of 491	29.9%	★★☆☆☆

Tested Remotely

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	47.8	153 of 339	54.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	12.5	363 of 393	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.7	356 of 386	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.9	360 of 392	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.9	370 of 403	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.8	314 of 404	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.0	348 of 401	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.7	333 of 396	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.0	331 of 395	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Tested Remotely (2021)55th percentile+23 vs school

Disabled (2022)33rd percentile-6 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)30th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)30th percentile+8 vs school

Special Education (2026)26th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)23rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)22nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)21st percentile~ school

White (2026)8th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

Civics22%-18 vs state

English Language Arts21%-19 vs state

Science20%-21 vs state

Mathematics19%-23 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, September 21, 2011

This is the worse school system I have ever dealt with. If your child has any kind of special need or is on an IEP plan don't expect much. Close Quote

Schools Near Knox Trail Middle School

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts (2026)					MCAS Next Generation Mathematics (2026)					MCAS Next Generation Science (2026)			MCAS Next Generation Civics (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	Directly certified (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	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 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
Knox Trail Middle School	Public	5-8	73 Ash Street	Spencer	01562	Worcester County	Spencer-E Brookfield	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 885-8550	415	30	13.6	47.5%	286 (68.9%)	17 (4.1%)	92 (22.2%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.9%)	22.1	374^th of 478 public middle schools	21.8%		22.3	375^th of 484 public middle schools	22.5%	1	11.0	22.5	30.1	20.2	21.5	8.2	22.5	22.5	18.9	18.6	21.9	18.9	20.1	21.5	$19,175
Leicester Middle	Public	5-8	174 Paxton Street	Leicester	01524	Worcester County	Leicester	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 892-7030	394	31	12.7	39.3%	263 (66.8%)	27 (6.9%)	72 (18.3%)	16 (4.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (3.6%)	33.9	296^th of 478 public middle schools	38.1%		38	282^nd of 484 public middle schools	41.7%	14	15.8	21.4	28.2	31.5	24.5	13.8	24.4	23.8	29.6	23.1	27.7	28.3	28.0	43.4	$20,170
Sullivan Middle	Public	6-8	140 Apricot Street	Worcester	01603	Worcester County	Worcester	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 799-3350	940	73	12.7	72.4%	215 (22.9%)	139 (14.8%)	462 (49.1%)	82 (8.7%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (4.3%)	32.2	315^th of 478 public middle schools	34.1%		31	320^th of 484 public middle schools	33.9%	5		84.0	26.8	31.9	32.4		94.0	29.5	24.5	30.7		21.8	21.8	22.5	$21,463
Auburn Middle	Public	6-8	9 West Street	Auburn	01501	Worcester County	Auburn	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 832-7722	628	46	13.5	25.2%	478 (76.1%)	28 (4.5%)	75 (11.9%)	29 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.7%)	56.6	182^nd of 478 public middle schools	61.9%		60	177^th of 484 public middle schools	63.4%	5		32.7	40.5	45.8	39.5		36.4	40.9	48.1	41.6		45.2	45.2	46.3	$17,918
Charlton Middle School	Public	5-8	2 Oxford Road	Charlton	01507	Worcester County	Dudley-Charlton Regional	No	No	No	No	(508) 248-1423	631	49	13.0	29.2%	520 (82.4%)	11 (1.7%)	64 (10.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.2%)	34.5	294^th of 478 public middle schools	38.5%		44.7	240^th of 484 public middle schools	50.4%	54	31.7	25.2	29.2	35.6	30.5	32.6	34.7	21.3	27.8	28.9	43.8	32.9	38.0	31.1	$17,568
Central Tree Middle	Public	6-8	99 Rutland Heights Way	Rutland	01543	Worcester County	Wachusett	No	No	No	No	(508) 886-0073	369	27	13.7	18.7%	301 (81.6%)	21 (5.7%)	29 (7.9%)	9 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	75	102^nd of 478 public middle schools	78.7%		70.4	129^th of 484 public middle schools	73.3%	27		43.1	38.8	53.2	44.9		58.2	48.3	62.4	56.1		64.2	64.2	62.6	$17,712
Tantasqua Regional Junior High	Public	7-8	320 Brookfield Rd	Fiskdale	01518	Worcester County	Tantasqua	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 347-7381	576	49	11.6	27.4%	492 (85.4%)	7 (1.2%)	39 (6.8%)	10 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.5%)	52.8	197^th of 478 public middle schools	58.8%		64.3	161^st of 484 public middle schools	66.7%	36			33.7	38.3	36.2			42.0	40.2	41.0		43.2	43.2	37.4	$18,507
Oxford Middle	Public	6-8	497 Main Street	Oxford	01540	Worcester County	Oxford	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 987-6074	385	38	10.0	43.1%	292 (75.8%)	11 (2.9%)	66 (17.1%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.1%)	32.5	312^th of 478 public middle schools	34.7%		33	309^th of 484 public middle schools	36.2%	3		31.4	32.0	29.7	31.1		37.3	21.6	16.0	24.8		25.0	25.0	33.0	$19,657
Forest Grove Middle	Public	7-8	495 Grove Street	Worcester	01605	Worcester County	Worcester	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 799-3420	839	73	11.4	60.9%	264 (31.5%)	129 (15.4%)	355 (42.3%)	53 (6.3%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	34 (4.1%)	24	364^th of 478 public middle schools	23.8%		31.4	319^th of 484 public middle schools	34.1%	45			26.2	25.8	26.0			15.3	22.2	18.5		20.6	20.6	26.3	$22,973
Worcester East Middle	Public	6-8	420 Grafton Street	Worcester	01604	Worcester County	Worcester	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 799-3430	731	51	14.3	84.8%	98 (13.4%)	149 (20.4%)	418 (57.2%)	42 (5.7%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (2.9%)	17.6	399^th of 478 public middle schools	16.5%		19.4	394^th of 484 public middle schools	18.6%	5		15.2	20.2	25.4	22.1		16.7	10.3	15.6	13.3		19.9	19.9	17.4	$22,050

Frequently Asked Questions about Knox Trail Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Knox Trail Middle School?

Students at Knox Trail Middle School are 69% White, 22% Hispanic, 4% African American, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Knox Trail Middle School in?

Spencer-E Brookfield

Is Knox Trail Middle School a good school?

Knox Trail Middle School ranks in the bottom 21.8% of Massachusetts middle schools.

How many students attend Knox Trail Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 415 students attended Knox Trail Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Knox Trail Middle School attend?

Students who attend Knox Trail Middle School usually go on to attend David Prouty High

Rate Knox Trail Middle School!

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Latest Massachusetts data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataNewNov 1, 2026

2020–21 through 2023–24 school spending data (updated)NewNov 1, 2026

2023–24 through 2024–25 teacher salary dataNewNov 1, 2026

2020–21 through 2022–23 teacher salary data (updated)NewNov 1, 2026

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.