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Matthew J Kuss Middle

Public Grades 6-8

449^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 478 Massachusetts Middle Schools

Better than 6% of Massachusetts middle schools

Summary

Matthew J Kuss Middle is a grades 6–8 school at 52 Globe Mills Avenue in Fall River, MA, enrolling 646 students — the second-largest of the city’s three middle schools. It is part of the Fall River district, which ranks 331st of 351 Massachusetts districts (6th percentile, 0 stars). In 2025–2026, Kuss ranked 449th of 478 middle schools statewide (6th percentile, 0 stars), with proficiency of 14.24% in English Language Arts, 9.02% in math, 10.55% in science, and 10.45% in 8th-grade civics — all roughly 26–32 points below state rates.

The school has slipped steadily: from the mid-30s percentile with 2 stars in 2016–17 through 2018–19 to the bottom 6% today, falling every year since 2021–22. Within the Fall River district, Kuss is now the lowest-ranked middle school in ELA and math, trailing Talbot Innovation School and Morton Middle. Its classes are comparatively small (student–teacher ratio 10.3) and per-pupil spending was $16,898 in 2020–2021, yet nearby out-of-district schools such as Somerset Middle School and Joseph Case Junior High, just 3–4 miles away, post 37–43% proficiency in ELA and math. Keith Middle School in the similarly ranked New Bedford district still reaches 20.02% ELA and 20.73% math, showing resources and district context alone do not explain the gap.

Inside the school, 6th-grade math is the deepest hole: 7.21% versus 16.20% district-wide. Results improve as students move up, and 8th-grade science (10.55%) and civics (10.45%) meet or slightly exceed district rates. Science also rebounded from 5.37% to 10.55%, the clearest positive trend. English Language Learners are a relative bright spot, ranking at the 23rd percentile versus the school’s overall 6th, while low-income and special-education students remain near the bottom. Overall, Kuss is a bottom-decile school in a bottom-decile district with real but narrow strengths in 8th-grade science, civics, and ELL outcomes.

646

Students ?

10.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,301

Per pupil spending ?

82.2%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students in Massachusetts receive free school meals.

52 Globe Mills Avenue
Fall River, MA 02724

(508) 675-8335

District: Fall River

Students who attend Matthew J Kuss Middle usually attend:

High:

B M C Durfee High

Feeder schools for Matthew J Kuss Middle:

Elementary:	Carlton M. Viveiros Elementary School
	John J Doran

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.1%

Hispanic:

37.2%

African American:

13.5%

See top rated Massachusetts middle schools

Compare Matthew J Kuss Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 17th percentile in 2016 → 6th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Massachusetts average (11% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school11%

District avg17%

Massachusetts avg41%

449^th of 478

Massachusetts public middle schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From bottom 17% (2016) to bottom 6% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Middle Schools in the Fall River

331^st of 351Fall River 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	10.0	449 of 478	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.8	446 of 484	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	425 of 493	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.2	419 of 501	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.6	401 of 497	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.9	298 of 501	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.7	326 of 498	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.6	307 of 484	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.3	315 of 487	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	19.7	401 of 482	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	34.2	309 of 441	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	42.1	283 of 455	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	41.9	290 of 455	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	40.0	292 of 455	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	35.2	324 of 449	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	28.7	332 of 434	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	18.7	345 of 409	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	9.5	370 of 407	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	11.3	357 of 399	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	7.6	370 of 399	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	5.6	339 of 356	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	4.5	333 of 344	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	6.4	323 of 339	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	25.4	173 of 215	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.0	183 of 206	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	178 of 202	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.3	146 of 209	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.3	147 of 212	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	63.1	45 of 193	76.7%	★★★★☆
2019	33.7	134 of 195	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.6	89 of 172	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2024	15.9	101 of 120	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.7	90 of 123	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.0	117 of 128	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.7	100 of 119	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	18.7	423 of 445	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	26.2	332 of 431	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.0	358 of 424	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.9	363 of 417	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	32.6	149 of 193	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.1	154 of 181	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.4	129 of 180	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.6	138 of 155	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.8	148 of 154	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	32.1	125 of 135	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	33.0	104 of 138	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	10.8	435 of 468	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.0	450 of 473	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.1	416 of 481	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.8	414 of 489	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.7	394 of 494	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	41.5	278 of 483	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.8	322 of 478	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.2	288 of 463	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	12.9	368 of 383	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.0	349 of 376	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.4	321 of 378	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.1	313 of 364	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.3	272 of 368	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	47.5	148 of 335	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.1	171 of 322	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.6	161 of 309	47.9%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	26.2	20 of 26	23.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	15.0	428 of 461	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.1	424 of 464	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	396 of 469	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.1	395 of 481	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.6	383 of 489	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.5	238 of 462	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.1	247 of 452	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.3	249 of 438	43.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	9.8	442 of 470	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.1	436 of 473	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.9	417 of 483	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.8	419 of 489	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.5	404 of 497	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.3	314 of 485	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.9	332 of 478	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.6	326 of 466	30.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	9.9	104 of 112	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.2	107 of 116	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.0	94 of 98	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.5	97 of 110	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.1	98 of 102	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.8	69 of 92	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.8	54 of 87	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.0	53 of 84	36.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	21.3	387 of 436	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.4	407 of 435	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.3	392 of 441	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	404 of 444	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	26.1	397 of 503	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	43.1	252 of 489	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.9	227 of 484	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.2	217 of 467	53.5%	★★★☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	43.7	271 of 491	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

Tested Remotely

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	35.5	211 of 339	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	4.2	391 of 393	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.5	384 of 386	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.5	381 of 392	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.9	374 of 403	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	361 of 404	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.1	292 of 401	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.8	306 of 396	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.4	298 of 395	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Tested In Person (2021)45th percentile+4 vs school

Tested Remotely (2021)38th percentile-3 vs school

Homeless (2022)23rd percentile+4 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)23rd percentile+17 vs school

African American (2026)20th percentile+13 vs school

Asian (2024)16th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)11th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)7th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)7th percentile~ school

Female (2026)7th percentile~ school

Male (2026)6th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)5th percentile-14 vs school

Hispanic (2026)4th percentile~ school

White (2026)1st percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts14%-26 vs state

Science11%-30 vs state

Civics10%-29 vs state

Mathematics9%-32 vs state

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Schools Near Matthew J Kuss Middle

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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 (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 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 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
Matthew J Kuss Middle	Public	6-8	52 Globe Mills Avenue	Fall River	02724	Bristol County	Fall River	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 675-8335	646	62	10.3	82.2%	246 (38.1%)	87 (13.5%)	240 (37.2%)	18 (2.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (8.2%)	10	449^th of 478 public middle schools	6.1%		9.8	446^th of 484 public middle schools	7.9%	3		12.4	13.7	16.4	14.2		7.2	9.3	10.5	9.0		10.6	10.6	10.5	$24,301
Morton Middle	Public	6-8	1135 North Main Street	Fall River	02720	Bristol County	Fall River	No	No	No	No	(508) 675-8340	751	58	13.0	68.7%	324 (43.1%)	119 (15.8%)	229 (30.5%)	21 (2.8%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (7.3%)	14.5	419^th of 478 public middle schools	12.3%		16.8	409^th of 484 public middle schools	15.5%	10		19.4	17.6	22.8	19.9		22.1	12.9	13.2	16.2		7.4	7.4	10.3	$22,098
Talbot Innovation School	Public	6-8	124 Melrose Street	Fall River	02723	Bristol County	Fall River	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 675-8350	582	48	12.0	78.9%	198 (34.0%)	92 (15.8%)	229 (39.3%)	17 (2.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (7.6%)	16.7	401^st of 478 public middle schools	16.1%		15.8	419^th of 484 public middle schools	13.4%	18		20.7	18.4	17.2	18.7		19.3	16.3	24.1	19.8		15.3	15.3	11.8	$24,128
Somerset Middle School	Public	6-8	1141 Brayton Avenue	Somerset	02726	Bristol County	Somerset	No	No	No	No	(508) 324-3140	610	47	13.0	26.1%	536 (87.9%)	7 (1.1%)	31 (5.1%)	14 (2.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.1%)	56.1	185^th of 478 public middle schools	61.3%		61.4	172^nd of 484 public middle schools	64.5%	13		41.1	34.9	37.5	37.6		44.8	35.4	51.1	43.5		43.5	43.5	45.4	$18,695
Joseph Case Junior High	Public	6-8	195 Main Street	Swansea	02777	Bristol County	Swansea	No	No	No	No	(508) 675-0116	490	41	11.9	27.1%	450 (91.8%)	8 (1.6%)	12 (2.4%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.9%)	56.6	181^st of 478 public middle schools	62.1%		60.2	176^th of 484 public middle schools	63.6%	5		32.1	39.9	38.4	36.7		39.1	43.1	43.9	42.0		53.1	53.1	46.3	$20,286
Dighton Middle School	Public	5-8	1250R Somerset Avenue	Dighton	02715	Bristol County	Dighton-Rehoboth	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 669-4200	355	25	14.4	20.8%	303 (85.4%)	9 (2.5%)	23 (6.5%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.2%)	56.8	179^th of 478 public middle schools	62.6%		64.6	157^th of 484 public middle schools	67.6%	22	29.4	36.8	44.2	37.8	36.7	23.5	49.3	46.5	37.4	38.1	52.0	44.0	48.2	39.1	$19,610
Dorothy L Beckwith	Public	5-8	330R Winthrop Street	Rehoboth	02769	Bristol County	Dighton-Rehoboth	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 252-5080	479	38	12.5	16.5%	413 (86.2%)	9 (1.9%)	26 (5.4%)	7 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.8%)	52.9	196^th of 478 public middle schools	59.0%		54.7	196^th of 484 public middle schools	59.5%		28.9	35.8	37.1	42.0	35.7	36.2	42.2	27.1	42.9	36.8	41.7	42.0	41.8	50.9	$18,278
Berkley Middle School	Public	5-8	21 North Main Street	Berkley	02779	Bristol County	Berkley	No	No	No	No	(508) 884-9434	374	27	13.8	22.7%	342 (91.4%)	3 (0.8%)	8 (2.1%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (4.0%)	69.2	128^th of 478 public middle schools	73.2%		67.5	138^th of 484 public middle schools	71.5%	10	36.1	46.2	44.0	59.0	46.3	31.3	61.3	22.0	45.8	41.1	39.8	65.1	52.4	56.6	$14,599
Dartmouth Middle	Public	6-8	366 Slocum Road	North Dartmouth	02747	Bristol County	Dartmouth	No	No	No	No	(508) 997-9333	801	76	10.4	26.5%	686 (85.6%)	12 (1.5%)	43 (5.4%)	9 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (6.4%)	71.2	122^nd of 478 public middle schools	74.5%		75.7	104^th of 484 public middle schools	78.5%	18		52.1	47.7	50.0	50.0		58.5	52.7	58.3	56.6		42.1	42.1	40.0	$20,879
Freetown-Lakeville Middle School	Public	6-8	96 Howland Road	Lakeville	02347	Plymouth County	Freetown-Lakeville	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 923-3518	699	53	13.1	21.2%	620 (88.7%)	18 (2.6%)	35 (5.0%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (2.7%)	56.3	184^th of 478 public middle schools	61.5%		68.9	136^th of 484 public middle schools	71.9%	48		27.0	35.0	41.5	34.6		40.7	46.3	51.7	46.3		49.6	49.6	42.8	$17,237

Frequently Asked Questions about Matthew J Kuss Middle

What district is Matthew J Kuss Middle in?

Fall River

What is the racial makeup of Matthew J Kuss Middle?

Students at Matthew J Kuss Middle are 38% White, 37% Hispanic, 13% African American, 8% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Matthew J Kuss Middle attend?

Students who attend Matthew J Kuss Middle usually go on to attend B M C Durfee High

How many students attend Matthew J Kuss Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 646 students attended Matthew J Kuss Middle.

Is Matthew J Kuss Middle a good school?

Matthew J Kuss Middle ranks in the bottom 6.1% of Massachusetts middle schools.

Rate Matthew J Kuss Middle!

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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.