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James S Daley Middle School

Q: Is James S Daley Middle School a good school?

James S Daley Middle School ranks 147 th of 484 Massachusetts middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

147^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 484 Massachusetts Middle Schools

Better than 70% of Massachusetts middle schools

Summary

James S Daley Middle School is a public middle school located in Lowell, MA, serving grades 5-8 with a total enrollment of 680 students. The school consistently outperforms the Lowell district and the state of Massachusetts in MCAS Next Generation assessments, with particularly strong performance in 5th and 6th grade English Language Arts and Mathematics.

The school has a relatively high per-student spending of $15,927 and a low student-teacher ratio of 12.8, indicating a focus on smaller class sizes and more individualized attention. James S Daley Middle School outperforms other middle schools in the Lowell district, as well as some nearby schools in Billerica and Dracut, in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency. However, the school lags behind the higher-performing middle schools in Chelmsford, such as McCarthy Middle School and Col Moses Parker School, which consistently rank among the top middle schools in the state.

While James S Daley Middle School performs well for English Language Learners and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, it struggles to close the achievement gap for other subgroups, such as Asian and African American students. The school's performance for students with disabilities and homeless students is also an area of concern. Overall, the school's performance has shown some improvements over the years, but it still faces challenges in reaching the level of the highest-performing middle schools in the state.

669

Students ?

13.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,507

Per pupil spending ?

64.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

150 Fleming Street
Lowell, MA 01851

(978) 937-8981

District: Lowell

Students who attend James S Daley Middle School usually attend:

High:	Leblanc Therapeutic Day School
	Lowell High

Feeder schools for James S Daley Middle School:

Elementary:	Abraham Lincoln
	Bartlett Community Partnership
	Charles W Morey
	Charlotte M Murkland Elementary
	More...
	Dr Gertrude Bailey
	Joseph McAvinnue
	Pawtucketville Memorial

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

50.4%

White:

20.5%

Hispanic:

19.7%

See top rated Massachusetts middle schools

Compare James S Daley Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 57th percentile in 2015 → 70th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2015

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Lowell

✓Above the Massachusetts median (70th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school46%

District avg28%

Massachusetts avg41%

147^th of 484

Massachusetts public middle schools ?

Top 30%▲ up 13 pts since 2015

From top 43% (2015) to top 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 6Middle Schools in the Lowell

278^th of 348Lowell 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
2025	66.3	147 of 484	69.6%	★★★★☆
2024	60.5	175 of 493	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.2	181 of 501	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.0	172 of 497	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.0	203 of 501	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.1	203 of 498	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.3	238 of 484	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	49.2	247 of 487	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	63.9	178 of 482	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	56.5	190 of 441	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	49.5	243 of 455	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	48.4	251 of 455	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	45.0	278 of 455	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	44.9	272 of 449	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	33.4	314 of 434	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	43.2	263 of 409	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	35.3	280 of 407	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	35.5	280 of 399	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	21.0	323 of 399	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	23.1	289 of 356	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	33.9	249 of 344	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	19.5	282 of 339	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2024	28.6	152 of 202	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	29.5	93 of 127	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.2	94 of 120	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.6	108 of 134	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.3	106 of 135	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.1	106 of 123	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.5	107 of 128	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.4	104 of 119	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	42.7	206 of 445	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.0	234 of 431	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.0	258 of 424	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.5	295 of 417	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	71.0	11 of 181	93.9%	★★★★★
2024	61.7	24 of 180	86.7%	★★★★☆
2023	75.5	11 of 155	92.9%	★★★★★
2022	61.5	17 of 154	89.0%	★★★★☆
2021	62.1	15 of 135	88.9%	★★★★☆
2019	54.7	35 of 138	74.6%	★★★★☆
2018	68.7	14 of 127	89.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	69.0	131 of 473	72.3%	★★★★☆
2024	63.1	165 of 481	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.1	149 of 489	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.6	146 of 494	70.4%	★★★★☆
2021	50.0	225 of 483	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.7	167 of 478	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.4	242 of 463	47.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	61.2	116 of 376	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.8	122 of 378	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.3	123 of 364	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.1	114 of 368	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.9	103 of 335	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.1	121 of 322	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.6	155 of 309	49.8%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	87.8	2 of 42	95.2%	★★★★★
2024	87.1	1 of 36	97.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	70.5	94 of 464	79.7%	★★★★☆
2024	78.3	55 of 469	88.3%	★★★★☆
2023	79.9	60 of 481	87.5%	★★★★☆
2022	74.5	80 of 489	83.6%	★★★★☆
2021	68.8	103 of 462	77.7%	★★★★☆
2019	61.2	148 of 452	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.5	152 of 438	65.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	60.6	163 of 473	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.8	178 of 483	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.3	209 of 489	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.3	186 of 497	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.0	180 of 485	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.8	225 of 478	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.6	213 of 466	54.3%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2018	28.5	55 of 84	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	43.5	193 of 435	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.3	205 of 441	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.0	232 of 444	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	81.2	52 of 503	89.7%	★★★★☆
2021	69.5	89 of 489	81.8%	★★★★☆
2019	71.6	96 of 484	80.2%	★★★★☆
2018	71.4	67 of 467	85.7%	★★★★☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	48.1	245 of 491	50.1%	★★★☆☆

Tested Remotely

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	70.1	82 of 339	75.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	49.5	172 of 386	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.2	163 of 392	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.5	191 of 403	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.3	191 of 404	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.0	185 of 401	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.5	131 of 396	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.6	114 of 395	71.1%	★★★★☆

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)

Homeless (2025)95th percentile+26 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)94th percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)80th percentile+10 vs school

Tested Remotely (2021)76th percentile+16 vs school

Female (2025)72nd percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)69th percentile~ school

Male (2025)66th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)56th percentile-14 vs school

White (2025)55th percentile-14 vs school

Disabled (2022)54th percentile-12 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)50th percentile-9 vs school

Multi-racial (2018)35th percentile-16 vs school

Asian (2025)27th percentile-43 vs school

African American (2024)25th percentile-40 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics52%+11 vs state

English Language Arts47%+5 vs state

Civics41%~ state avg

Science32%-9 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, November 17, 2009

This is my daughter's second year at the Daley. She love's it! The teachers are wonderful. She is also a straight A student and the teachers there continue to challenge her. I am just praying my son make it in next year! Close Quote

Schools Near James S Daley Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts (2025)					MCAS Next Generation Mathematics (2025)					MCAS Next Generation Science (2025)			MCAS Next Generation Civics (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
James S Daley Middle School	Public	5-8	150 Fleming Street	Lowell	01851	Middlesex County	Lowell	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 937-8981	669	51	13.2		137 (20.5%)	38 (5.7%)	132 (19.7%)	337 (50.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.7%)	66.3	147^th of 484 public middle schools	69.6%		60.5	175^th of 493 public middle schools	64.5%	28	34.8	51.5	52.4	48.4	46.9	56.1	58.2	53.7	39.0	51.9	34.4	30.1	32.3	40.5	$21,507
Laura Lee Therapeutic Day School	Public	5-8	235 Powell Street	Lowell	01851	Middlesex County	Lowell	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 937-7655	15	6	2.7		5 (33.3%)	1 (6.7%)	7 (46.7%)	1 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.7%)								(n/a)					0.0					8.3					$61,065
Kathryn P. Stoklosa Middle School	Public	5-8	560 Broadway Street	Lowell	01854	Middlesex County	Lowell	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 275-6330	613	48	12.7		73 (11.9%)	38 (6.2%)	226 (36.9%)	259 (42.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.4%)	38.2	281^st of 484 public middle schools	41.9%		36.6	293^rd of 493 public middle schools	40.6%	12	27.7	22.3	30.9	42.0	30.9	38.2	32.2	42.3	42.4	38.7	33.9	14.8	23.6	22.8	$21,519
McCarthy Middle School	Public	7-8	250 North Rd	Chelmsford	01824	Middlesex County	Chelmsford	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 251-5122	808	65	12.4		509 (63.0%)	36 (4.5%)	63 (7.8%)	164 (20.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	34 (4.2%)	77.8	97^th of 484 public middle schools	80.0%		77	103^rd of 493 public middle schools	79.1%	6			55.9	63.6	59.7			56.1	40.9	48.6		55.9	55.9	49.9	$17,715
B.F. Butler Middle School	Public	5-8	1140 Gorham Street	Lowell	01852	Middlesex County	Lowell	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 937-8973	516	39	13.1		94 (18.2%)	35 (6.8%)	213 (41.3%)	154 (29.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.7%)	33.5	304^th of 484 public middle schools	37.2%		29.9	330^th of 493 public middle schools	33.1%	26	17.8	24.2	29.1	33.9	26.2	18.0	32.3	26.5	42.2	29.9	19.1	22.3	20.8	19.5	$21,153
Dr An Wang School	Public	5-8	365 West Meadow Road	Lowell	01854	Middlesex County	Lowell	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 937-7683	663	43	15.3		175 (26.4%)	47 (7.1%)	270 (40.7%)	141 (21.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.4%)	33.2	307^th of 484 public middle schools	36.6%		26.4	356^th of 493 public middle schools	27.8%	49	13.6	27.9	24.0	38.7	26.0	20.8	28.7	19.3	33.3	25.6	17.5	24.2	20.8	32.7	$20,690
Col Moses Parker School	Public	5-6	75 Graniteville Rd	Chelmsford	01824	Middlesex County	Chelmsford	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 251-5133	778	62	12.5		508 (65.3%)	24 (3.1%)	69 (8.9%)	147 (18.9%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (3.3%)								(n/a)	57.2	59.1			58.2	47.5	59.0			53.3	65.0		65.0		$17,394
Henry J Robinson Middle	Public	5-8	110 June Street	Lowell	01850	Middlesex County	Lowell	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 937-8974	600	53	11.4		120 (20.0%)	67 (11.2%)	326 (54.3%)	62 (10.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (3.8%)	20.8	385^th of 484 public middle schools	20.5%		17.8	407^th of 493 public middle schools	17.4%	22	13.5	22.8	22.1	18.8	19.5	8.7	16.9	24.6	23.0	18.4	12.8	15.3	14.1	21.3	$21,307
James Sullivan Middle School	Public	5-8	150 Draper Street	Lowell	01852	Middlesex County	Lowell	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 937-8993	625	50	12.4		189 (30.2%)	34 (5.4%)	309 (49.4%)	72 (11.5%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (2.7%)	25.8	352^nd of 484 public middle schools	27.3%		20.2	389^th of 493 public middle schools	21.1%	37	11.8	22.3	17.7	31.8	21.2	17.4	18.1	22.1	31.3	22.3	23.2	20.0	21.5	27.2	$21,916
Justus C. Richardson Middle School	Public	6-8	1570 Lakeview Ave	Dracut	01826	Middlesex County	Dracut	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 957-3330	916	63	14.5		581 (63.4%)	65 (7.1%)	144 (15.7%)	110 (12.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (1.7%)	51.6	208^th of 484 public middle schools	57.0%		45.2	246^th of 493 public middle schools	50.1%	38		44.9	45.6	40.2	43.7		46.4	34.7	30.8	37.4		25.7	25.7	38.0	$14,649

Frequently Asked Questions about James S Daley Middle School

How many students attend James S Daley Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 669 students attended James S Daley Middle School.

What district is James S Daley Middle School in?

Lowell

What high school do graduates of James S Daley Middle School attend?

Students who attend James S Daley Middle School usually go on to attend Leblanc Therapeutic Day School

Is James S Daley Middle School a good school?

James S Daley Middle School ranks 147^th of 484 Massachusetts middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of James S Daley Middle School?

Students at James S Daley Middle School are 50% Asian, 20% White, 20% Hispanic, 6% African American, 4% Two or more races.

Rate James S Daley Middle School!

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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.