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Martin Luther King Junior

Q: Is Martin Luther King Junior a good school?

Martin Luther King Junior ranks 113 th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

113^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 899 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 87% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Martin Luther King Junior is a PK–5 elementary school at 102 Putnam Avenue in Cambridge, MA, serving 340 students in the Cambridge district. Cambridge ranks 71st of 351 Massachusetts districts (80th percentile, 4 stars), and MLK ranked 113th of 899 elementary schools statewide in 2025–2026 (87th percentile, 4 stars). That is down from its recent peak—4th in 2022–2023, 15th in 2023–2024, and 10th in 2024–2025—but still well above average and improved from 306th of 932 in 2015–2016.

Test scores in 2025–2026 were 66.86% ELA, 67.44% math, and 55.74% science, beating Cambridge (59.47%, 57.29%, 51.03%) and Massachusetts (40.03%, 41.11%, 40.98%). Fourth grade is strong (74.07% ELA, 75.93% math), while fifth-grade ELA (56.45%) is the only spot slightly below the district (56.66%). Among nearby Cambridge schools, Maria L. Baldwin ranks 5th statewide, John M Tobin 85th, Amigos School 94th, and Morse 117th. MLK outperforms Cambridgeport, Graham and Parks, King Open, and Fletcher/Maynard Academy in all subjects, and is far ahead of out-of-district Albert F. Argenziano School at Lincoln Park in Somerville and Gardner Pilot Academy in Boston.

Watch the recent decline, especially science (down from 92.68% to 55.74%), which trails Baldwin, Morse, and Tobin though still exceeds district and state. The school is effective across most groups—female students, students with disabilities, and low-income students all rank above the 75th percentile statewide—with some variation. Resources are high: $36,282 per student and a 10.2 student–teacher ratio. Yet Fletcher/Maynard Academy spends more ($40,576) and ranks much lower, while closest peer Amigos School spends less ($29,062) with similar scores. Overall, MLK remains a high-performing Cambridge elementary school with science and fifth-grade ELA as areas to monitor.

340

Students ?

10.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$38,575

Per pupil spending ?

19.7%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students in Massachusetts receive free school meals.

95%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2025-26)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

102 Putnam Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139

(617) 349-6562

District: Cambridge

Students who attend Martin Luther King Junior usually attend:

Middle:	Cambridge Street Upper School
	Darby Vassall Upper School
	Putnam Avenue Upper School
	Rindge Avenue Upper School
High:	Cambridge Rindge and Latin

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

37.4%

Two or more races:

27.4%

White:

20.6%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare Martin Luther King Junior to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 100th percentile in 2023 → 87th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (65% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 13% of Massachusetts elementary schools

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 100th-percentile peak (2023) to 87th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school65%

District avg57%

Massachusetts avg41%

113^th of 899

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Top 13%▲ up 20 pts since 2016

From top 33% (2016) to top 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Cambridge

71^st of 351Cambridge 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	87.0	113 of 899	87.4%	★★★★☆
2025	96.4	10 of 906	98.9%	★★★★★
2024	95.6	15 of 916	98.4%	★★★★★
2023	97.2	4 of 928	99.6%	★★★★★
2022	91.4	66 of 932	92.9%	★★★★★
2021	89.9	82 of 936	91.2%	★★★★★
2019	84.6	119 of 942	87.4%	★★★★☆
2018	82.7	142 of 934	84.8%	★★★★☆
2017	80.2	170 of 938	81.9%	★★★★☆
2016	66.4	306 of 932	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	61.2	372 of 914	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	65.2	344 of 926	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	46.9	537 of 928	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	39.0	617 of 930	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	32.2	675 of 924	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	21.0	770 of 920	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	10.8	831 of 909	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	11.8	819 of 908	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	24.1	735 of 911	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	24.0	732 of 911	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	25.6	683 of 887	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	20.6	720 of 882	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	11.0	786 of 884	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	63.7	42 of 188	77.7%	★★★★☆
2022	79.1	16 of 173	90.8%	★★★★★
2019	88.7	9 of 172	94.8%	★★★★★
2018	84.2	16 of 174	90.8%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	74.5	37 of 149	75.2%	★★★★☆
2025	80.2	12 of 142	91.5%	★★★★★
2024	76.7	36 of 152	76.3%	★★★★☆
2023	86.5	4 of 145	97.2%	★★★★★
2022	79.8	19 of 143	86.7%	★★★★☆
2019	54.1	81 of 155	47.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	90.5	53 of 869	93.9%	★★★★★
2025	96.1	7 of 869	99.2%	★★★★★
2024	94.4	20 of 886	97.7%	★★★★★
2023	96.7	4 of 887	99.5%	★★★★★
2022	91.9	44 of 901	95.1%	★★★★★
2021	93.6	25 of 898	97.2%	★★★★★
2019	80.2	150 of 902	83.4%	★★★★☆
2018	72.3	240 of 893	73.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	71.6	123 of 742	83.4%	★★★★☆
2025	97.3	3 of 736	99.6%	★★★★★
2024	84.3	50 of 760	93.4%	★★★★★
2023	90.5	28 of 757	96.3%	★★★★★
2022	52.2	345 of 772	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.2	175 of 700	75.0%	★★★★☆
2018	85.9	41 of 685	94.0%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	79.3	164 of 879	81.3%	★★★★☆
2025	94.3	17 of 884	98.1%	★★★★★
2024	95.0	16 of 891	98.2%	★★★★★
2023	96.2	6 of 896	99.3%	★★★★★
2022	89.3	72 of 908	92.1%	★★★★★
2021	82.3	144 of 904	84.1%	★★★★☆
2019	83.4	124 of 907	86.3%	★★★★☆
2018	88.8	60 of 898	93.3%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	81.8	10 of 48	79.2%	★★★★☆
2025	88.0	6 of 48	87.5%	★★★★☆
2023	88.9	3 of 33	90.9%	★★★★★
2022	89.8	2 of 31	93.5%	★★★★★
2019	84.5	9 of 31	71.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	74.2	118 of 709	83.4%	★★★★☆
2023	93.8	25 of 703	96.4%	★★★★★
2022	68.0	223 of 905	75.4%	★★★★☆
2021	76.3	140 of 894	84.3%	★★★★☆
2019	76.2	130 of 896	85.5%	★★★★☆
2018	91.4	28 of 886	96.8%	★★★★★

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	91.2	53 of 925	94.3%	★★★★★

Tested Remotely

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	83.5	66 of 399	83.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	98.5	1 of 734	99.9%	★★★★★
2025	95.6	6 of 737	99.2%	★★★★★
2024	98.5	1 of 753	99.9%	★★★★★
2023	96.7	1 of 762	99.9%	★★★★★
2022	97.8	3 of 764	99.6%	★★★★★
2019	96.6	1 of 780	99.9%	★★★★★
2018	69.2	221 of 772	71.4%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2026)100th percentile+12 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)94th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)94th percentile+6 vs school

Tested Remotely (2021)83rd percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)83rd percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2026)83rd percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)81st percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)79th percentile-8 vs school

African American (2026)78th percentile-10 vs school

Asian (2026)75th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics67%+26 vs state

English Language Arts67%+27 vs state

Science56%+15 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

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1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, September 27, 2021

Outstanding teachers and leadership. A real gem. Very nice and new building Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, March 8, 2017

The principal bluntly told us that he could not promise my kid's safety at school. And all he can offer is to have a meeting with his team with us, the victim's family over and over again. Shameful! Close Quote

Schools Near Martin Luther King Junior

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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 Vaccination 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)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 4th Grade	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 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 4th Grade	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Martin Luther King Junior	Public	PK, KG-5	102 Putnam Avenue	Cambridge	02139	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-6562	340	33	10.2	19.7%	70 (20.6%)	39 (11.5%)	10 (2.9%)	127 (37.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	93 (27.4%)	87	113^th of 899 public elementary schools	87.4%		96.4	10^th of 906 public elementary schools	98.9%	103	71.4	74.1	56.5				66.9	66.1	75.9	61.3				67.4	55.7		55.7		95%	0%	$38,575
Amigos School	Public	PK, KG-8	15 Upton Street	Cambridge	02139	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-6567	413	38	10.9	25.2%	131 (31.7%)	24 (5.8%)	210 (50.8%)	14 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (8.2%)	88.5	94^th of 899 public elementary schools	89.5%		88.7	89^th of 906 public elementary schools	90.2%	5	62.5	66.7	74.4	65.8	81.0	71.8	70.4	55.0	77.1	62.8	71.1	73.8	69.2	68.4	62.8	48.7	56.1	53.9	100%	0%	$35,941
John M Tobin	Public	PK, KG-5	181 Vassal Lane	Cambridge	02138	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-6600	291	27	10.7	34.0%	105 (36.1%)	78 (26.8%)	27 (9.3%)	46 (15.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (12.0%)	89.1	85^th of 899 public elementary schools	90.5%		93.6	41^st of 906 public elementary schools	95.5%	44	71.9	64.7	64.3				67.0	81.3	61.8	64.3				69.2	60.7		60.7		98%	2%	$46,901
Morse	Public	PK, KG-5	40 Granite Street	Cambridge	02139	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 349-6575	328	32	10.1	34.1%	134 (40.9%)	70 (21.3%)	34 (10.4%)	53 (16.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (11.0%)	86.3	117^th of 899 public elementary schools	87.0%		82.4	153^rd of 906 public elementary schools	83.1%	36	68.9	56.1	71.4				65.9	64.4	57.1	63.3				61.8	65.3		65.3		91%	5%	$40,432
Cambridgeport	Public	PK, KG-5	89 Elm Street	Cambridge	02139	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-6587	263	27	9.7	33.1%	106 (40.3%)	49 (18.6%)	40 (15.2%)	38 (14.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (11.0%)	80.1	167^th of 899 public elementary schools	81.4%		84.4	134^th of 906 public elementary schools	85.2%	33	64.5	65.9	54.8				61.5	71.0	61.4	48.8				59.5	51.2		51.2		91%	6%	$39,077
Fletcher/Maynard Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	225 Windsor Street	Cambridge	02139	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 349-6588	249	34	7.3	64.7%	21 (8.4%)	123 (49.4%)	56 (22.5%)	23 (9.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (10.0%)	50.7	450^th of 899 public elementary schools	49.9%		35.8	587^th of 906 public elementary schools	35.2%	137	44.8	38.7	35.3				39.4	48.3	43.3	41.2				44.1	41.2		41.2		88%	0%	$53,146
Maria L. Baldwin	Public	PK, KG-5	85 Oxford Street	Cambridge	02138	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-6525	360	33	10.9	17.2%	207 (57.5%)	33 (9.2%)	27 (7.5%)	37 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (15.6%)	97.1	5^th of 899 public elementary schools	99.4%		96.6	8^th of 906 public elementary schools	99.1%	3	87.0	74.6	74.5				78.8	83.3	81.4	85.1				83.1	74.5		74.5		98%	2%	$38,310
Albert F. Argenziano School at Lincoln Park	Public	PK, KG-8	290 Washington Street	Somerville	02143	Middlesex County	Somerville	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 629-5460	553	41	13.4	40.1%	243 (43.9%)	21 (3.8%)	194 (35.1%)	40 (7.2%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	49 (8.9%)	56.1	393^rd of 899 public elementary schools	56.3%		46.6	488^th of 906 public elementary schools	46.1%	95	47.5	41.5	45.0	47.8	46.6	43.9	45.5	43.6	45.3	34.4	43.5	43.1	30.0	40.3	49.2	34.2	43.1	41.5	97%	3%	$25,888
King Open	Public	PK, KG-5	850 Cambridge Street	Cambridge	02139	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 349-6540	391	37	10.4	40.7%	128 (32.7%)	92 (23.5%)	68 (17.4%)	44 (11.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (15.1%)	61.7	341^st of 899 public elementary schools	62.1%		48.9	467^th of 906 public elementary schools	48.5%	126	62.3	43.9	42.3				50.0	45.9	48.2	46.2				46.8	42.3		42.3		96%	3%	$41,318
Gardner Pilot Academy	Public	PK, KG-6	30 Athol Street	Allston	02134	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8365	364	38	9.4	74.7%	44 (12.1%)	50 (13.7%)	235 (64.6%)	17 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.4%)	15.4	781^st of 899 public elementary schools	13.1%		19.4	746^th of 906 public elementary schools	17.7%	35	12.8	19.4	22.9	21.6			19.1	18.0	22.2	22.2	18.0			20.0	25.0		25.0		97%	0%	$35,971

Frequently Asked Questions about Martin Luther King Junior

What district is Martin Luther King Junior in?

Cambridge

What schools do graduates of Martin Luther King Junior attend?

Students who attend Martin Luther King Junior usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cambridge Street Upper School
Middle : Darby Vassall Upper School
Middle : Putnam Avenue Upper School
Middle : Rindge Avenue Upper School
High : Cambridge Rindge and Latin

What is the racial makeup of Martin Luther King Junior?

Students at Martin Luther King Junior are 37% Asian, 27% Two or more races, 21% White, 11% African American, 3% Hispanic.

How many students attend Martin Luther King Junior?

In the 2024-25 school year, 340 students attended Martin Luther King Junior.

Is Martin Luther King Junior a good school?

Martin Luther King Junior ranks 113^th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Martin Luther King Junior!

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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.