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Riverdale

Q: Is Riverdale a good school?

Riverdale ranks 378 th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 1-5

378^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 899 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 58% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Riverdale is a grade 1–5 elementary school at 143 Needham Street in Dedham, MA, serving about 206 students in the Dedham district — a small building in a suburban area where the closest schools run from Boston neighborhoods about a mile east to the Needham, Newton, and Brookline districts roughly two miles west. Because it starts at grade 1, the district's youngest learners attend the Early Childhood Center nearby.

Riverdale ranks in the 58th percentile of Massachusetts elementary schools (3 stars) in 2025-2026, up from the 47th percentile the year before, and it clears the state average in English language arts (47.46%), math (44.07%), and science (45.00%). Within Dedham it is the stronger 1–5 option by a wide margin: against Avery, its same-grade district peer 1.9 miles away, Riverdale is 15–19 points higher in every subject and 30 percentile points higher in rank. The catch is variation between grades. Grade 3 scores sit far above both district and state (66.67% in ELA, 63.89% in math), grade 5 is roughly at the state line, and grade 4 falls below the district in both subjects, with math 11.5 points under the state. With roughly 40 students per grade, these swings represent a handful of children, so they are worth watching rather than treating as settled.

Riverdale's low-income students rank at the 84th percentile (4 stars) and its special education students at the 63rd — both above the school's overall standing, which suggests it serves its higher-need students particularly well. The school also has the smallest classes in its comparison set (a 9.5 student–teacher ratio) and spends $24,768 per student. Even so, nearby Broadmeadow in Needham, Memorial Spaulding in Newton, and Edith C Baker in Brookline outperform it by more than 20 proficiency points, and several Boston schools — including Lyndon, Bates, and Mozart — rival or exceed it as well.

206

Students ?

9.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,597

Per pupil spending ?

27.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

143 Needham Street
Dedham, MA 02026

(781) 310-2000

District: Dedham

Students who attend Riverdale usually attend:

Middle:	Dedham Middle School
High:	Dedham High

Racial breakdown:

White:

62.6%

Hispanic:

17.0%

African American:

11.7%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare Riverdale to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 63rd percentile in 2016 → 58th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (46% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Above the Massachusetts median (58th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2016

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

!Near the bottom of Dedham's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg45%

Massachusetts avg41%

378^th of 899

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Top 42%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From top 37% (2016) to top 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Elementary Schools in the Dedham

148^th of 351Dedham 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	57.2	378 of 899	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.5	478 of 906	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.8	450 of 916	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.8	367 of 928	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.3	431 of 932	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.0	395 of 936	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.5	485 of 942	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.5	451 of 934	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	57.3	410 of 938	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	63.2	349 of 932	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	63.3	350 of 914	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	61.9	381 of 926	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	58.9	425 of 928	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	72.8	267 of 930	71.3%	★★★★☆
2011	60.0	406 of 924	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	57.5	418 of 920	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	73.6	243 of 909	73.3%	★★★★☆
2008	73.5	242 of 908	73.3%	★★★★☆
2007	60.3	402 of 911	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	66.3	305 of 911	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2005	69.1	293 of 887	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	65.3	336 of 882	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2003	57.8	418 of 884	52.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	42.9	339 of 672	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.1	288 of 632	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	26.6	513 of 665	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	86.0	52 of 656	92.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	54.8	392 of 869	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.3	462 of 869	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.4	467 of 886	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.2	357 of 887	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.7	485 of 901	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.0	474 of 898	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.2	540 of 902	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.8	544 of 893	39.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	71.8	122 of 742	83.6%	★★★★☆
2025	55.9	275 of 736	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.2	219 of 760	71.2%	★★★★☆
2023	69.2	153 of 757	79.8%	★★★★☆
2022	48.8	374 of 772	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.2	398 of 705	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.1	612 of 700	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	80.4	68 of 685	90.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	58.1	359 of 879	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.9	457 of 884	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.2	389 of 891	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.2	407 of 896	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.9	418 of 908	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.0	340 of 904	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.4	404 of 907	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.3	323 of 898	64.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	54.0	261 of 709	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.2	311 of 717	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.0	238 of 731	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.3	553 of 905	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.9	388 of 894	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.4	438 of 896	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.8	236 of 886	73.4%	★★★★☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	61.2	369 of 925	60.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	45.2	421 of 734	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.0	425 of 737	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.3	453 of 753	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.1	339 of 762	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.4	409 of 764	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.2	350 of 765	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.2	432 of 780	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.8	446 of 772	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)84th percentile+26 vs school

Special Education (2026)63rd percentile+5 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)60th percentile~ school

Male (2026)59th percentile~ school

Female (2026)55th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2022)50th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)43rd percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts47%+7 vs state

Science45%+4 vs state

Mathematics44%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Riverdale

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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 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	Total
Riverdale	Public	1-5	143 Needham Street	Dedham	02026	Norfolk County	Dedham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 310-2000	206	21	9.5	27.8%	129 (62.6%)	24 (11.7%)	35 (17.0%)	4 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (6.8%)	57.2	378^th of 899 public elementary schools	58.0%		47.5	478^th of 906 public elementary schools	47.2%	100	66.7	36.6	41.5				47.5	63.9	31.7	39.0				44.1	45.0		45.0		$25,597
Kilmer K-8 School	Public	PK, KG-8	35 Baker Street	West Roxbury	02132	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8060	401	40	9.9	30.7%	168 (41.9%)	95 (23.7%)	95 (23.7%)	22 (5.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.0%)	39.4	544^th of 899 public elementary schools	39.5%		49.2	464^th of 906 public elementary schools	48.8%	80	36.6	25.0	63.6	22.2	22.9	31.3	33.5	24.4	22.7	57.6	25.9	11.4	25.8	27.5	48.5	12.9	31.3	12.5	$36,139
Beethoven Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	5125 Washington Street	West Roxbury	02132	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8149	287	24	11.8	44.2%	70 (24.4%)	87 (30.3%)	107 (37.3%)	7 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.2%)								(n/a)																			$35,159
Lyndon K-8 School	Public	PK, KG-8	20 Mt. Vernon Street	West Roxbury	02132	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-6824	512	42	12.1	42.4%	297 (58.0%)	45 (8.8%)	120 (23.4%)	23 (4.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.1%)	68.5	277^th of 899 public elementary schools	69.2%		69.7	286^th of 906 public elementary schools	68.4%	9	69.8	51.7	38.9	58.3	25.9	15.4	48.6	53.2	54.4	44.4	53.1	18.5	7.7	44.0	37.7	7.7	27.9	19.2	$32,414
Broadmeadow	Public	K-5	120 Broadmeadow Rd	Needham	02492	Norfolk County	Needham	No	No	No	No	(781) 455-0448	502	36	14.0	4.3%	351 (69.9%)	6 (1.2%)	29 (5.8%)	70 (13.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (9.2%)	90.3	71^st of 899 public elementary schools	92.1%		92.1	48^th of 906 public elementary schools	94.7%	23	78.5	59.1	62.4				66.3	74.7	64.4	68.2				68.9	70.6		70.6		$23,288
Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	1100 High Street	Dedham	02026	Norfolk County	Dedham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 310-8000	285	24	11.7	11.4%	174 (61.1%)	33 (11.6%)	50 (17.5%)	12 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.6%)								(n/a)																			$26,154
Avery	Public	1-5	336 High Street	Dedham	02026	Norfolk County	Dedham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 310-5000	321	31	10.2	50.0%	166 (51.7%)	34 (10.6%)	92 (28.7%)	9 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.2%)	26.8	650^th of 899 public elementary schools	27.7%		36.1	585^th of 906 public elementary schools	35.4%	65	29.6	29.5	27.8				28.9	27.8	32.8	27.8				29.4	26.4		26.4		$25,356
Mozart Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	236 Beech Street	Roslindale	02131	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8082	155	14	10.7	53.1%	67 (43.2%)	39 (25.2%)	33 (21.3%)	3 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	11 (7.1%)	64.2	319^th of 899 public elementary schools	64.5%		67	309^th of 906 public elementary schools	65.9%	10	35.7	45.5	66.7	58.8			51.5	28.6	40.9	60.0	58.8			47.1	53.3		53.3		$36,577
Memorial Spaulding	Public	K-5	250 Brookline Street	Newton Centre	02459	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-9600	342	35	9.9	11.3%	175 (51.2%)	14 (4.1%)	29 (8.5%)	96 (28.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.2%)	92.4	46^th of 899 public elementary schools	94.9%		92.6	45^th of 906 public elementary schools	95.0%	1	66.0	77.9	64.8				70.7	79.3	71.1	67.3				72.3	69.1		69.1		$25,515
Bates Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	426 Beech Street	Roslindale	02131	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8064	281	28	10.1	54.8%	118 (42.0%)	55 (19.6%)	83 (29.5%)	8 (2.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.3%)	69.6	269^th of 899 public elementary schools	70.1%		48.2	474^th of 906 public elementary schools	47.7%	205	68.4	48.6	37.5	47.4			51.1	79.0	66.7	37.5	52.6			59.7	37.5		37.5		$34,753

Frequently Asked Questions about Riverdale

How many students attend Riverdale?

In the 2024-25 school year, 206 students attended Riverdale.

What schools do graduates of Riverdale attend?

Students who attend Riverdale usually go on to attend:

Middle : Dedham Middle School
High : Dedham High

What is the racial makeup of Riverdale?

Students at Riverdale are 63% White, 17% Hispanic, 12% African American, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Riverdale in?

Dedham

Is Riverdale a good school?

Riverdale ranks 378^th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Riverdale!

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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.