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Putnam Avenue Upper School

Q: Is Putnam Avenue Upper School a good school?

Putnam Avenue Upper School ranks 87 th of 478 Massachusetts middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

87^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 478 Massachusetts Middle Schools

Better than 82% of Massachusetts middle schools

Summary

Putnam Avenue Upper School is a grades 6–8 middle school serving 283 students in Cambridge, MA, part of the Cambridge district. It is ranked 87th of 478 middle schools statewide in 2025–2026 — 82nd percentile, 4 stars — a dramatic climb from the 34th percentile and 2-star rating it held in 2018–2019. That sustained rise from below-average to top-quintile is one of the strongest improvement stories among nearby schools.

Test scores show the same pattern. In 2025–2026 MCAS results, Putnam outperformed the state in every subject: ELA 64.04%, Math 51.50%, Science 55.17%, and Civics 52.87%. Science is the standout, climbing about 24 points from 31.25% in 2022–2023 and ranking first among Cambridge's four upper schools. ELA has also risen steadily and beats the district and state. Math is the relative weak spot: it trails the Cambridge district (57.29%) and ranks third of four in Cambridge, with 7th-grade math at 42.22% versus the district's 51.97%. Among Cambridge peers, Rindge Avenue Upper School ranks higher overall, leading Putnam by about 8 points in ELA and 18 in Math, while Putnam leads in Science.

Compared with schools outside Cambridge, Putnam is well ahead of John J. McGlynn Middle School and Higginson-Lewis K-8 School, close to Madeleine Dugger Andrews in some subjects, and behind high-performing Belmont Middle School and Gibbs School. Its effectiveness rankings are strong for special education students (84th percentile) and low-income students (74th percentile), with some variability across other groups. Class sizes are small (student–teacher ratio 8.9) and per-student spending is high — $34,089 in 2020–2021, the most among Cambridge upper schools. Overall, Putnam is a fast-improving, 4-star school strong in ELA, Science, and Civics, with math the clearest area to watch.

283

Students ?

8.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$38,081

Per pupil spending ?

65%

Free/discounted lunch ?

100 Putnam Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139

(617) 349-7780

District: Cambridge

Students who attend Putnam Avenue Upper School usually attend:

High:

Cambridge Rindge and Latin

Racial breakdown:

White:

27.9%

African American:

25.4%

Asian:

19.4%

See top rated Massachusetts middle schools

Compare Putnam Avenue Upper School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 37th percentile in 2016 → 82nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (57% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of Massachusetts middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 45 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 school57%

District avg57%

Massachusetts avg41%

87^th of 478

Massachusetts public middle schools ?

Top 18%▲ up 45 pts since 2016

From bottom 37% (2016) to top 18% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Middle 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	80.3	87 of 478	81.8%	★★★★☆
2025	80.2	92 of 484	81.0%	★★★★☆
2024	76.3	107 of 493	78.3%	★★★★☆
2023	65.0	155 of 501	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.8	177 of 497	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.3	201 of 501	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.4	328 of 498	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.5	279 of 484	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	33.5	332 of 487	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	38.2	305 of 482	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	30.2	321 of 441	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	54.9	76 of 215	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.9	52 of 206	74.8%	★★★★☆
2024	73.1	32 of 202	84.2%	★★★★☆
2023	57.0	76 of 209	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.7	57 of 212	73.1%	★★★★☆
2021	54.8	69 of 193	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.3	87 of 195	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.5	102 of 172	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	63.9	59 of 131	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.8	74 of 127	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.9	74 of 120	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.4	84 of 134	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.3	83 of 135	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.3	84 of 123	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.9	101 of 128	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	40.1	221 of 445	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.3	155 of 431	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.2	251 of 424	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.8	172 of 417	58.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	80.2	85 of 468	81.8%	★★★★☆
2025	78.8	92 of 473	80.5%	★★★★☆
2024	78.4	98 of 481	79.6%	★★★★☆
2023	61.8	162 of 489	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.8	199 of 494	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.4	196 of 483	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.2	328 of 478	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.1	272 of 463	41.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2024	78.7	57 of 378	84.9%	★★★★☆
2022	34.7	231 of 368	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.2	226 of 322	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.8	104 of 309	66.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	64.1	122 of 461	73.5%	★★★★☆
2025	59.4	147 of 464	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.5	74 of 469	84.2%	★★★★☆
2023	58.1	178 of 481	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.0	240 of 489	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.8	159 of 462	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.7	300 of 452	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.8	304 of 438	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	78.3	91 of 470	80.6%	★★★★☆
2025	78.8	89 of 473	81.2%	★★★★☆
2024	73.0	112 of 483	76.8%	★★★★☆
2023	64.7	152 of 489	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.1	170 of 497	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.8	206 of 485	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.6	327 of 478	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.4	274 of 466	41.2%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	77.7	28 of 112	75.0%	★★★★☆
2025	73.1	33 of 116	71.6%	★★★★☆
2024	69.5	32 of 98	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.4	32 of 110	70.9%	★★★★☆
2022	76.7	25 of 102	75.5%	★★★★☆
2019	40.1	45 of 87	48.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	74.6	68 of 436	84.4%	★★★★☆
2025	57.3	129 of 435	70.3%	★★★★☆
2024	73.8	70 of 441	84.1%	★★★★☆
2023	52.1	152 of 444	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.3	225 of 503	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.5	159 of 489	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.8	309 of 484	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.8	294 of 467	37.0%	★★☆☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	61.0	174 of 491	64.6%	★★★☆☆

Tested Remotely

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	50.5	142 of 339	58.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	84.7	50 of 393	87.3%	★★★★☆
2025	90.3	29 of 386	92.5%	★★★★★
2024	77.9	73 of 392	81.4%	★★★★☆
2023	69.3	102 of 403	74.7%	★★★★☆
2022	54.7	168 of 404	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.6	163 of 401	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.6	261 of 396	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	67.8	108 of 395	72.7%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2026)87th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2024)85th percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2026)84th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)82nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)81st percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)75th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)74th percentile-8 vs school

African American (2026)65th percentile-17 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)65th percentile+5 vs school

Tested Remotely (2021)58th percentile~ school

Asian (2026)55th percentile-27 vs school

Disabled (2022)50th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts64%+24 vs state

Science55%+14 vs state

Civics53%+13 vs state

Mathematics52%+10 vs state

2.3

4 ratings · 4 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★1

1★2

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, December 5, 2019

This school is unequipped to teach students interested in learning. Teachers spend more time with discipline than education. The principal is a poor leader, and it shows in the overall culture of the school. We pulled our child out after one year, and we never allowed our younger child to set foot in the school. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, November 1, 2019

Great School! We love it! Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Poor role models in the administration. Teachers acting like children and LOTS of bullying not being handled. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, January 10, 2019

God help these children. A few strong teachers and massive facilities investment but a continuingly lousy result. Too much back slapping and not enough concerted effort on real acheivement. A shamefully perfunctory education is the result. I understand this is an urban school but this is an urban country and we all must do better and demand better. More meaningful discipline for the children and more professionalism shown by the teachers would be a welcome start to remedying this Swiss cheese block of a school. Close Quote

Schools Near Putnam Avenue Upper 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 (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 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 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	Total
Putnam Avenue Upper School	Public	6-8	100 Putnam Avenue	Cambridge	02139	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 349-7780	283	32	8.9	65.0%	79 (27.9%)	72 (25.4%)	29 (10.2%)	55 (19.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (16.6%)	80.3	87^th of 478 public middle schools	81.8%		80.2	92^nd of 484 public middle schools	81.0%	5			68.5	53.3	70.5	64.0			58.4	42.2	54.0	51.5		55.2	55.2	52.9	$38,081
Cambridge Street Upper School	Public	6-8	840 Cambridge Street	Cambridge	02141	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 349-3050	301	36	8.2	52.1%	102 (33.9%)	95 (31.6%)	35 (11.6%)	26 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	38 (12.6%)	66.4	139^th of 478 public middle schools	70.9%		52.2	203^rd of 484 public middle schools	58.1%	64			45.4	42.5	59.8	49.7			41.7	34.1	56.1	44.4		50.5	50.5	47.4	$37,291
Darby Vassall Upper School	Public	6-8	183 Vassal Lane	Cambridge	02138	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-6550	298	43	7.0	42.7%	106 (35.6%)	81 (27.2%)	37 (12.4%)	52 (17.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (7.0%)	73.2	111^th of 478 public middle schools	76.8%		72.2	121^st of 484 public middle schools	75.0%	10			54.7	54.2	50.6	53.1			48.8	60.2	49.4	53.1		43.8	43.8	48.3	$40,197
Next Wave Junior High	Public	6-8	81 Highland Ave	Somerville	02143	Middlesex County	Somerville	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 629-5640	16	5	3.1	85.0%	6 (37.5%)	2 (12.5%)	6 (37.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (12.5%)								(n/a)						9.1						9.1					$74,046
Rindge Avenue Upper School	Public	6-8	70 Rindge Avenue	Cambridge	02140	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-4060	292	31	9.4	44.5%	145 (49.7%)	56 (19.2%)	33 (11.3%)	29 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.6%)	90.3	54^th of 478 public middle schools	88.7%		90.3	56^th of 484 public middle schools	88.4%	2			72.6	69.6	74.7	72.2			71.1	68.1	70.5	69.9		51.7	51.7	55.8	$35,443
John J. McGlynn Middle School	Public	6-8	3004 Mystic Valley Parkway	Medford	02155	Middlesex County	Medford	No	No	No	No	(781) 393-2333	464	53	8.8	43.3%	232 (50.0%)	67 (14.4%)	88 (19.0%)	40 (8.6%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.3%)	38.7	267^th of 478 public middle schools	44.1%		35.5	288^th of 484 public middle schools	40.5%	21			27.7	33.1	32.1	30.9			25.7	36.6	31.3	31.2		35.4	35.4	34.6	$24,808
Madeleine Dugger Andrews	Public	6-8	3000 Mystic Valley Pkwy	Medford	02155	Middlesex County	Medford	No	No	No	No	(781) 393-2228	435	49	8.9	33.0%	269 (61.8%)	45 (10.3%)	63 (14.5%)	34 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.1%)	64.1	150^th of 478 public middle schools	68.6%		59.9	178^th of 484 public middle schools	63.2%	28			45.3	45.8	49.6	46.8			44.9	31.8	43.2	40.2		55.1	55.1	53.8	$22,740
Winthrop L Chenery Upper Elementary	Public	4-6	95 Washington Street	Belmont	02478	Middlesex County	Belmont	No	No	No	No	(617) 993-5800	1,023	74	13.8	7.5%	579 (56.6%)	37 (3.6%)	57 (5.6%)	256 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (8.6%)								(n/a)	63.3	60.2	75.1			66.5	73.8	63.3	77.5			71.8	72.9		72.9		$17,771
Belmont Middle School	Public	7-8	225 Concord Ave	Belmont	02478	Middlesex County	Belmont	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(617) 993-2000	742	48	15.5		436 (58.8%)	26 (3.5%)	30 (4.0%)	179 (24.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	65 (8.8%)	96.6	11^th of 478 public middle schools	97.7%		97.1	6^th of 484 public middle schools	98.8%	5				71.0	75.8	73.4				71.0	78.3	74.7		79.1	79.1	80.9	$19,126
Gibbs School	Public	6	41 Foster Street	Arlington	02474	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-9003	529	43	12.4		354 (66.9%)	24 (4.5%)	37 (7.0%)	56 (10.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (10.4%)								(n/a)			71.2			71.2			68.6			68.6					$20,737

Frequently Asked Questions about Putnam Avenue Upper School

What high school do graduates of Putnam Avenue Upper School attend?

Students who attend Putnam Avenue Upper School usually go on to attend Cambridge Rindge and Latin

What is the racial makeup of Putnam Avenue Upper School?

Students at Putnam Avenue Upper School are 28% White, 25% African American, 19% Asian, 17% Two or more races, 10% Hispanic.

What district is Putnam Avenue Upper School in?

Cambridge

How many students attend Putnam Avenue Upper School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 283 students attended Putnam Avenue Upper School.

Is Putnam Avenue Upper School a good school?

Putnam Avenue Upper School ranks 87^th of 478 Massachusetts middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Putnam Avenue Upper School!

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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.