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Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School

Public Grades 6-8
162nd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 484 Massachusetts Middle Schools
Better than 67% of Massachusetts middle schools
Summary

Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in Shirley, MA, part of the Ayer Shirley School District. With 379 students and a student-teacher ratio of 11:1, the school has consistently ranked in the top half of Massachusetts middle schools over the past 10 years, earning a 3-star rating.

Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School outperforms the state and district averages in MCAS proficiency rates across all grade levels and subject areas. In 2024-2025, 45.62% of students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 41.53% statewide, and 40% were proficient or better in math, compared to 40.74% statewide. The school's 8th grade students performed particularly well, with 56.25% proficient or better in ELA and 38.52% in math, significantly higher than the state averages. Additionally, the school's science proficiency rate of 62.6% for all grades was notably higher than the state's 41.51%.

Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School's performance across different student subgroups, including Hispanic, low-socioeconomic status, and special education students, is also noteworthy, with these groups ranking in the top quartile or half of Massachusetts middle schools. The school's consistent high performance and efficient resource allocation, with higher-than-average spending per student and a lower student-teacher ratio, make it a standout in the region compared to nearby middle schools like Blanchard Middle, Littleton Middle School, and The Bromfield Middle School.

410
Students ?
12.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$18,922
Per pupil spending ?
32.8%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1 Hospital Road
       Shirley, MA  01464

(978) 772-8600

District: Ayer Shirley School District


Students who attend Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School usually attend:

High:    Ayer Shirley Regional High School

Feeder schools for Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School:

Elementary:    Lura A. White Elementary School
    Page Hilltop Elementary School
Racial breakdown:

White:
69.8%
Hispanic:
15.1%
African American:
7.1%
more
 See top rated Massachusetts middle schools

 Compare Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Improving — 58th percentile in 2015 → 67th in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the Massachusetts average (46% vs 41% meeting standards)
Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2015
Above the Massachusetts median (67th percentile)
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school46%
District avg42%
Massachusetts avg41%
162nd of 484
Massachusetts public middle schools ?
Top 33%▲ up 9 pts since 2015
From top 42% (2015) to top 33% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
187th of 348Ayer Shirley School District 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202564.1162 of 48466.5%★★★☆☆
202456.3194 of 49360.6%★★★☆☆
202358.7187 of 50162.7%★★★☆☆
202257.7181 of 49763.6%★★★☆☆
202148.0246 of 50150.9%★★★☆☆
201954.1224 of 49855.0%★★★☆☆
201840.5294 of 48439.3%★★☆☆☆
201751.9235 of 48751.7%★★★☆☆
201653.8228 of 48252.7%★★★☆☆
201557.3187 of 44157.6%★★★☆☆
201441.0289 of 45536.5%★★☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202244.9187 of 44558.0%★★★☆☆
202151.0145 of 43166.4%★★★☆☆
201951.5151 of 42464.4%★★★☆☆
201830.2293 of 41729.7%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202567.1145 of 47369.3%★★★☆☆
202459.0185 of 48161.5%★★★☆☆
202362.6159 of 48967.5%★★★☆☆
202261.5168 of 49466.0%★★★☆☆
202145.8252 of 48347.8%★★☆☆☆
201947.4262 of 47845.2%★★☆☆☆
201840.5285 of 46338.4%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202570.481 of 37678.5%★★★★☆
202448.8149 of 37860.6%★★★☆☆
202354.0140 of 36461.5%★★★☆☆
202249.8141 of 36861.7%★★★☆☆
202150.0140 of 33558.2%★★★☆☆
201969.476 of 32276.4%★★★★☆
201868.272 of 30976.7%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202562.8133 of 46471.3%★★★★☆
202457.6166 of 46964.6%★★★☆☆
202342.2269 of 48144.1%★★☆☆☆
202246.9243 of 48950.3%★★★☆☆
202153.3183 of 46260.4%★★★☆☆
201965.9117 of 45274.1%★★★★☆
201848.5233 of 43846.8%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202559.8169 of 47364.3%★★★☆☆
202451.8207 of 48357.1%★★★☆☆
202353.1208 of 48957.5%★★★☆☆
202252.5210 of 49757.7%★★★☆☆
202150.0228 of 48553.0%★★★☆☆
201958.0188 of 47860.7%★★★☆☆
201840.3282 of 46639.5%★★☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202554.5135 of 43569.0%★★★☆☆
202438.2232 of 44147.4%★★☆☆☆
202342.1214 of 44451.8%★★★☆☆
202239.5294 of 50341.6%★★☆☆☆
202138.7288 of 48941.1%★★☆☆☆
201953.5195 of 48459.7%★★★☆☆
201835.5324 of 46730.6%★★☆☆☆

Tested In Person

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202148.7240 of 49151.1%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202551.6164 of 38657.5%★★★☆☆
202445.8198 of 39249.5%★★☆☆☆
202346.8196 of 40351.4%★★★☆☆
202250.4187 of 40453.7%★★★☆☆
202136.8252 of 40137.2%★★☆☆☆
201940.4240 of 39639.4%★★☆☆☆
201828.6296 of 39525.1%★☆☆☆☆
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)
Hispanic (2025)78th percentile+12 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)71st percentile+5 vs school
Female (2025)69th percentile+3 vs school
Special Education (2025)69th percentile~ school
Male (2025)64th percentile~ school
Disabled (2022)58th percentile-6 vs school
White (2025)58th percentile-9 vs school
Tested In Person (2021)51st percentile~ school
By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?
Science63%+21 vs state
Civics53%+13 vs state
English Language Arts46%+4 vs state
Mathematics40%~ state avg

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Frequently Asked Questions about Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School

In the 2024-25 school year, 410 students attended Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School.

Students at Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School are 70% White, 15% Hispanic, 7% African American, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Students who attend Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School usually go on to attend Ayer Shirley Regional High School

Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School ranks 162nd of 484 Massachusetts middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

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Latest Massachusetts data All new data »
2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesMar 5, 2026
2024–25 MCAS Next Generation test scoresSep 29, 2025
2023–24 school spending dataMay 8, 2025
2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 1, 2025


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.

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