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Peirce

Public Grades K-5

53^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 899 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 94% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Peirce is a K–5 elementary school at 85 Park Avenue Ext in Arlington, MA, serving 318 students as part of Arlington Public Schools, a highly rated district that ranks 17th of 351 Massachusetts districts.

Peirce is a 5-star school that ranked 53rd of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools in 2025–2026, in the 94th percentile. That continues a major upward trend: it was at the 66th percentile with 3 stars in 2018–2019 and has been in the top tier with 5 stars in each of the last three listed years. Science is a clear strength—80.33% proficient in 2025–2026 and 88.00% in 2024–2025, above the district and the state. Within Arlington, Peirce ranks third by overall percentile, behind John A Bishop and Brackett, and ahead of Thompson, Cyrus E Dallin, and M Norcross Stratton. Peirce outperforms Thompson and Stratton in all three subjects in 2025–2026. Compared with nearby districts, Peirce is similar overall to Harrington in Lexington but has stronger Science and weaker Math; it trails Ambrose Elementary in Winchester—the state’s 4th-ranked school—along with Bowman and Vinson-Owen Elementary, though it is close to Bowman and Vinson-Owen in Science.

Grade-level results are uneven. Third-grade ELA and Math and fifth-grade Math were the highest among same-district peers in 2025–2026, while fourth-grade ELA and Math fell below the district average, with fourth-grade Math the lowest among those peers. Peirce has 318 students, a 13.1 student/teacher ratio—higher than many high-performing neighbors—and per-student spending of $17,743 (2020–2021), the highest among listed Arlington peers but below Lexington and Winchester peers. For families who care about equity, special education performance improved sharply to the 95th percentile in 2025–2026, but the low-income subgroup ranked around the state median (53rd percentile) in the most recent available years. That gap is the main internal area to watch.

318

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,103

Per pupil spending ?

11.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

85 Park Avenue Ext
Arlington, MA 02474

(781) 316-3736

District: Arlington

Students who attend Peirce usually attend:

Middle:	Ottoson Middle
High:	Arlington High

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.6%

Asian:

13.8%

Hispanic:

11.0%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare Peirce to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 88th percentile in 2016 → 94th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (71% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 6% of Massachusetts elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school71%

District avg72%

Massachusetts avg41%

53^rd of 899

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Top 6%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From top 12% (2016) to top 6% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 7Elementary Schools in the Arlington

17^th of 351Arlington 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	92.0	53 of 899	94.1%	★★★★★
2025	93.9	36 of 906	96.0%	★★★★★
2024	91.9	53 of 916	94.2%	★★★★★
2023	86.1	121 of 928	87.0%	★★★★☆
2022	78.0	200 of 932	78.5%	★★★★☆
2021	88.3	97 of 936	89.6%	★★★★☆
2019	65.6	324 of 942	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.8	253 of 934	72.9%	★★★★☆
2017	79.3	176 of 938	81.2%	★★★★☆
2016	85.0	110 of 932	88.2%	★★★★☆
2015	84.1	112 of 914	87.7%	★★★★☆
2014	82.7	132 of 926	85.7%	★★★★☆
2013	78.0	194 of 928	79.1%	★★★★☆
2012	68.7	321 of 930	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	75.3	241 of 924	73.9%	★★★★☆
2010	81.6	157 of 920	82.9%	★★★★☆
2009	83.9	117 of 909	87.1%	★★★★☆
2008	82.8	135 of 908	85.1%	★★★★☆
2007	79.1	179 of 911	80.4%	★★★★☆
2006	75.5	221 of 911	75.7%	★★★★☆
2005	81.9	145 of 887	83.7%	★★★★☆
2004	77.6	196 of 882	77.8%	★★★★☆
2003	74.3	235 of 884	73.4%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2024	84.2	12 of 152	92.1%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	63.3	187 of 672	72.2%	★★★★☆
2019	78.5	99 of 665	85.1%	★★★★☆
2018	68.2	150 of 656	77.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	94.2	22 of 869	97.5%	★★★★★
2025	90.2	59 of 869	93.2%	★★★★★
2024	90.4	58 of 886	93.5%	★★★★★
2023	80.3	163 of 887	81.6%	★★★★☆
2022	81.1	156 of 901	82.7%	★★★★☆
2021	91.0	50 of 898	94.4%	★★★★★
2019	64.1	326 of 902	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.7	196 of 893	78.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2024	49.7	356 of 760	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.9	355 of 757	53.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	86.2	96 of 879	89.1%	★★★★☆
2025	92.6	36 of 884	95.9%	★★★★★
2024	85.1	112 of 891	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	86.4	102 of 896	88.6%	★★★★☆
2022	71.4	244 of 908	73.1%	★★★★☆
2021	82.6	138 of 904	84.7%	★★★★☆
2019	64.9	312 of 907	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.2	314 of 898	65.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	90.1	34 of 709	95.2%	★★★★★
2025	93.8	17 of 717	97.6%	★★★★★
2024	75.7	120 of 731	83.6%	★★★★☆
2023	82.4	69 of 703	90.2%	★★★★★
2022	63.7	255 of 905	71.8%	★★★★☆
2021	90.7	42 of 894	95.3%	★★★★★
2019	54.6	372 of 896	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.3	696 of 886	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	82.4	152 of 925	83.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	88.4	43 of 734	94.1%	★★★★★
2025	94.2	14 of 737	98.1%	★★★★★
2024	92.4	19 of 753	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	83.0	94 of 762	87.7%	★★★★☆
2022	69.8	198 of 764	74.1%	★★★★☆
2021	83.2	95 of 765	87.6%	★★★★☆
2019	59.4	315 of 780	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.4	342 of 772	55.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

Female (2026)97th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2026)95th percentile~ school

White (2026)94th percentile~ school

Asian (2024)92nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)89th percentile-5 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)84th percentile-6 vs school

Disabled (2022)72nd percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)53rd percentile-41 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

Science80%+39 vs state

English Language Arts69%+29 vs state

Mathematics69%+28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Peirce

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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)		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 (2015)	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 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 5th 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 All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Science 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science All Grades	Total
Peirce	Public	K-5	85 Park Avenue Ext	Arlington	02474	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 316-3736	318	24	13.1	11.2%	196 (61.6%)	14 (4.4%)	35 (11.0%)	44 (13.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.8%)	92	53^rd of 899 public elementary schools	94.1%		93.9	36^th of 906 public elementary schools	96.0%	17	76.1	61.1	68.9	69.2	67.7	63.0	76.7	69.2	80.3	80.3	$20,103
M Norcross Stratton	Public	K-5	180 Mountain Avenue	Arlington	02474	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 316-3754	448	37	12.2	9.6%	243 (54.2%)	15 (3.3%)	39 (8.7%)	97 (21.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (11.6%)	87.8	104^th of 899 public elementary schools	88.4%		82.3	154^th of 906 public elementary schools	83.0%	50	64.2	50.7	68.1	60.4	66.7	65.4	69.4	67.2	77.8	77.8	$19,449
Cyrus E Dallin	Public	K-5	185 Florence Avenue	Arlington	02476	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3722	390	32	12.1	5.5%	244 (62.6%)	4 (1.0%)	33 (8.5%)	63 (16.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (11.8%)	89.9	75^th of 899 public elementary schools	91.7%		90.9	58^th of 906 public elementary schools	93.6%	17	69.4	73.8	72.1	71.7	64.9	71.0	55.7	64.0	70.5	70.5	$19,254
Brackett	Public	K-5	66 Eastern Avenue	Arlington	02476	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3705	394	30	13.1	6.6%	248 (62.9%)	5 (1.3%)	28 (7.1%)	48 (12.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (16.2%)	92.6	44^th of 899 public elementary schools	95.1%		86.5	111^th of 906 public elementary schools	87.7%	67	70.4	64.8	71.6	69.3	65.9	69.1	74.2	69.5	85.1	85.1	$20,022
John A Bishop	Public	K-5	25 Columbia Road	Arlington	02474	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3791	375	30	12.3	8.9%	251 (66.9%)	4 (1.1%)	26 (6.9%)	42 (11.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (13.9%)	93.1	39^th of 899 public elementary schools	95.7%		93.9	38^th of 906 public elementary schools	95.8%	1	63.8	69.0	75.4	69.6	65.5	71.8	75.4	71.1	89.2	89.2	$19,771
Vinson-Owen Elementary	Public	K-5	75 Johnson Road	Winchester	01890	Middlesex County	Winchester	No	No	No	No	(781) 721-7019	441	35	12.4	4.9%	285 (64.6%)	2 (0.5%)	11 (2.5%)	108 (24.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.9%)	94.2	30^th of 899 public elementary schools	96.7%		94.1	32^nd of 906 public elementary schools	96.5%	2	67.7	71.2	80.0	72.9	70.6	74.2	75.4	73.4	78.5	78.5	$18,726
Harrington	Public	K-5	328 Lowell Street	Lexington	02420	Middlesex County	Lexington	No	No	No	No	(781) 860-0012	374	38	9.9	4.7%	101 (27.0%)	33 (8.8%)	23 (6.1%)	184 (49.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (8.8%)	92.1	52^nd of 899 public elementary schools	94.2%		92.5	46^th of 906 public elementary schools	94.9%	6	68.9	68.7	70.2	69.2	72.1	68.7	75.4	71.9	66.7	66.7	$18,227
Ambrose Elementary	Public	K-5	27 High Street	Winchester	01890	Middlesex County	Winchester	No	No	No	No	(781) 721-7012	398	33	12.0	1.5%	316 (79.4%)	2 (0.5%)	14 (3.5%)	38 (9.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.0%)	97.9	4^th of 899 public elementary schools	99.6%		96.6	9^th of 906 public elementary schools	99.0%	5	76.9	75.6	80.0	77.3	86.5	85.2	85.5	85.6	85.5	85.5	$19,653
Bowman	Public	K-5	9 Philip Rd	Lexington	02421	Middlesex County	Lexington	No	No	No	No	(781) 861-2500	429	38	11.1	6.3%	150 (35.0%)	28 (6.5%)	23 (5.4%)	183 (42.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (10.5%)	94.5	26^th of 899 public elementary schools	97.1%		96.7	6^th of 906 public elementary schools	99.3%	20	70.2	69.7	76.7	72.2	70.2	77.6	72.6	73.6	79.5	79.5	$16,072
Winn Brook	Public	K-3	97 Waterhouse Rd	Belmont	02478	Middlesex County	Belmont	No	No	No	No	(617) 993-5700	304	24	12.8	1.9%	152 (50.0%)	16 (5.3%)	17 (5.6%)	94 (30.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (7.9%)								(n/a)	85.3			85.3	78.7			78.7			$17,670

Frequently Asked Questions about Peirce

What district is Peirce in?

Arlington

How many students attend Peirce?

In the 2024-25 school year, 318 students attended Peirce.

Is Peirce a good school?

Yes. Peirce ranks in the top 5.9% of Massachusetts elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Peirce?

Students at Peirce are 62% White, 14% Asian, 11% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 4% African American.

What schools do graduates of Peirce attend?

Students who attend Peirce usually go on to attend:

Middle : Ottoson Middle
High : Arlington High

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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.