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Sunita L. Williams Elementary

Public Grades K-5

68^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 906 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 92% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Sunita L. Williams Elementary is a public elementary school in Needham, Massachusetts, serving 531 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in the state, with impressive academic performance on MCAS assessments that exceeds state averages in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science.

Sunita L. Williams Elementary stands out for its strong performance in specific student subgroups, ranking 45th out of 884 Massachusetts elementary schools for male students and 54th out of 717 schools for special education students in the 2024-2025 school year. The school's high per-student spending of $22,164 and low student-teacher ratio of 12.9 to 13.6 students per teacher may contribute to its academic success. While the school performs well compared to other Needham district schools, some nearby schools in Newton and Wellesley, such as A.E. Angier and Hunnewell, outperform Sunita L. Williams Elementary in certain academic areas.

Over the past several years, Sunita L. Williams Elementary has maintained a consistent 4- or 5-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating a stable and high-performing school. While the school's performance on MCAS assessments has fluctuated slightly, it has generally remained above the state averages. The school's strong performance for male students and special education students is noteworthy, but the relatively lower performance for Asian and white students compared to other subgroups may warrant further investigation to understand the underlying factors and address any potential disparities.

533

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,076

Per pupil spending ?

6.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

585 Central Avenue
Needham, MA 02494

(781) 455-0461

District: Needham

Students who attend Sunita L. Williams Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	High Rock School
	Pollard Middle
High:	Needham High

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.5%

Asian:

11.1%

Two or more races:

8.3%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare Sunita L. Williams Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 84th percentile in 2015 → 92nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (70% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 8% of Massachusetts elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Near the bottom of Needham's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school70%

District avg73%

Massachusetts avg41%

68^th of 906

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Top 8%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From top 16% (2015) to top 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Needham

14^th of 348Needham 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	90.1	68 of 906	92.5%	★★★★★
2024	85.0	127 of 916	86.1%	★★★★☆
2023	76.5	223 of 928	76.0%	★★★★☆
2022	84.9	130 of 932	86.1%	★★★★☆
2021	87.8	109 of 936	88.4%	★★★★☆
2019	88.7	75 of 942	92.0%	★★★★★
2018	86.9	93 of 934	90.0%	★★★★★
2017	85.5	108 of 938	88.5%	★★★★☆
2016	83.8	123 of 932	86.8%	★★★★☆
2015	81.2	146 of 914	84.0%	★★★★☆
2014	80.6	160 of 926	82.7%	★★★★☆
2013	69.6	308 of 928	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	70.4	297 of 930	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	78.6	197 of 924	78.7%	★★★★☆
2010	75.6	228 of 920	75.2%	★★★★☆
2009	75.0	224 of 909	75.4%	★★★★☆
2008	72.0	264 of 908	70.9%	★★★★☆
2007	80.2	166 of 911	81.8%	★★★★☆
2006	84.9	116 of 911	87.3%	★★★★☆
2005	86.3	94 of 887	89.4%	★★★★☆
2004	78.4	187 of 882	78.8%	★★★★☆
2003	81.6	155 of 884	82.5%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2024	76.2	38 of 152	75.0%	★★★★☆
2023	46.1	96 of 145	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.7	97 of 143	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	60.3	70 of 141	50.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	67.9	158 of 672	76.5%	★★★★☆
2021	64.1	170 of 632	73.1%	★★★★☆
2019	85.4	55 of 665	91.7%	★★★★★
2018	62.8	185 of 656	71.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	84.6	112 of 869	87.1%	★★★★☆
2024	80.3	168 of 886	81.0%	★★★★☆
2023	72.0	246 of 887	72.3%	★★★★☆
2022	76.3	205 of 901	77.2%	★★★★☆
2021	85.4	118 of 898	86.9%	★★★★☆
2019	86.2	88 of 902	90.2%	★★★★★
2018	81.3	131 of 893	85.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	92.0	45 of 884	94.9%	★★★★★
2024	86.2	100 of 891	88.8%	★★★★☆
2023	77.3	187 of 896	79.1%	★★★★☆
2022	88.6	78 of 908	91.4%	★★★★★
2021	87.4	94 of 904	89.6%	★★★★☆
2019	88.4	65 of 907	92.8%	★★★★★
2018	88.2	68 of 898	92.4%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	86.1	54 of 717	92.5%	★★★★★
2024	64.3	193 of 731	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	51.1	292 of 703	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.8	204 of 905	77.5%	★★★★☆
2021	72.7	164 of 894	81.7%	★★★★☆
2019	85.9	58 of 896	93.5%	★★★★★
2018	59.2	317 of 886	64.2%	★★★☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	89.0	77 of 925	91.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	84.2	79 of 737	89.3%	★★★★☆
2024	77.7	135 of 753	82.1%	★★★★☆
2023	65.3	249 of 762	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	77.0	135 of 764	82.3%	★★★★☆
2021	80.9	118 of 765	84.6%	★★★★☆
2019	83.9	77 of 780	90.1%	★★★★★
2018	85.7	60 of 772	92.2%	★★★★★

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)

Male (2025)95th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Tested In Person (2021)92nd percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)89th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)87th percentile-5 vs school

Disabled (2022)76th percentile-10 vs school

Asian (2024)75th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?

Science77%+35 vs state

English Language Arts69%+27 vs state

Mathematics68%+27 vs state

3.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, June 19, 2024

It is a new school with all new buildings, however, the school is running down as the old principal retires. Under the new principal, testing score dropped steadily and dramatically. Close Quote

Schools Near Sunita L. Williams Elementary

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)		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 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 5th 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 All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Science 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science All Grades	Total
Sunita L. Williams Elementary	Public	K-5	585 Central Avenue	Needham	02494	Norfolk County	Needham	No	No	No	No	(781) 455-0461	533	41	13.1		376 (70.5%)	23 (4.3%)	30 (5.6%)	59 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (8.3%)	90.1	68^th of 906 public elementary schools	92.5%		85	127^th of 916 public elementary schools	86.1%	59	61.9	70.7	72.9	68.7	61.9	70.0	72.1	68.2	76.7	76.7	$24,076
John Eliot	Public	K-5	135 Wellesley Avenue	Needham	02494	Norfolk County	Needham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 455-0452	397	34	11.7		221 (55.7%)	21 (5.3%)	35 (8.8%)	84 (21.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.1%)	87	106^th of 906 public elementary schools	88.3%		87.2	106^th of 916 public elementary schools	88.4%		62.2	61.9	66.7	63.6	63.5	69.8	72.5	68.5	65.2	65.2	$24,205
Joseph E Fiske	Public	K-5	45 Hastings Street	Wellesley	02481	Norfolk County	Wellesley	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 446-6265	278	24	11.3		152 (54.7%)	14 (5.0%)	23 (8.3%)	77 (27.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.3%)	96.3	11^th of 906 public elementary schools	98.8%		93.9	32^nd of 916 public elementary schools	96.5%	21	84.1	66.7	81.6	78.3	93.2	75.0	77.6	82.2	83.7	83.7	$24,897
Newman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1155 Central Avenue	Needham	02492	Norfolk County	Needham	No	No	No	No	(781) 455-0416	696	56	12.3		496 (71.3%)	19 (2.7%)	59 (8.5%)	82 (11.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (5.6%)	94.1	31^st of 906 public elementary schools	96.6%		88.3	97^th of 916 public elementary schools	89.4%	66	74.2	73.5	75.2	74.3	77.4	75.5	69.5	74.0	76.2	76.2	$24,956
William Mitchell	Public	K-5	187 Brookline Street	Needham	02492	Norfolk County	Needham	No	No	No	No	(781) 455-0466	424	34	12.5		323 (76.2%)	14 (3.3%)	19 (4.5%)	42 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.1%)	92.1	47^th of 906 public elementary schools	94.8%		90.1	73^rd of 916 public elementary schools	92.0%	26	68.3	74.3	66.7	69.8	61.9	79.7	74.7	72.6	78.4	78.4	$23,045
Schofield	Public	K-5	27 Cedar Street	Wellesley	02481	Norfolk County	Wellesley	No	No	No	No	(781) 446-6280	291	27	10.9		190 (65.3%)	8 (2.7%)	29 (10.0%)	45 (15.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (6.2%)	90.6	61^st of 906 public elementary schools	93.3%		92.1	51^st of 916 public elementary schools	94.4%	10	71.7	61.4	75.9	69.5	73.6	63.2	66.7	67.7	79.6	79.6	$26,407
A E Angier	Public	K-5	1697 Beacon Street	Waban	02468	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-9300	383	38	10.0		232 (60.6%)	14 (3.7%)	19 (5.0%)	72 (18.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (11.5%)	95.7	14^th of 906 public elementary schools	98.5%		95.5	16^th of 916 public elementary schools	98.3%	2	69.2	68.2	76.4	71.4	83.3	80.3	84.7	82.8	87.7	87.7	$25,777
Hunnewell	Public	K-5	28 Cameron Street	Wellesley	02482	Norfolk County	Wellesley	No	No	No	No	(781) 446-6275	294	28	10.5		207 (70.4%)	7 (2.4%)	20 (6.8%)	32 (10.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.5%)	91.2	56^th of 906 public elementary schools	93.8%		94.5	24^th of 916 public elementary schools	97.4%	32	64.3	63.3	78.4	68.6	66.1	67.4	86.3	73.1	82.4	82.4	$29,139
Broadmeadow	Public	K-5	120 Broadmeadow Rd	Needham	02492	Norfolk County	Needham	No	No	No	No	(781) 455-0448	502	36	14.0		351 (69.9%)	6 (1.2%)	29 (5.8%)	70 (13.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (9.2%)	92.1	48^th of 906 public elementary schools	94.7%		92	52^nd of 916 public elementary schools	94.3%	4	67.8	67.1	77.3	70.7	70.1	65.9	80.7	72.2	77.3	77.3	$23,288
Countryside	Public	K-5	191 Dedham Street	Newton Highlands	02461	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-9450	369	38	9.7		180 (48.8%)	23 (6.2%)	35 (9.5%)	92 (24.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (10.6%)	84	137^th of 906 public elementary schools	84.9%		87.2	104^th of 916 public elementary schools	88.6%	33	63.1	73.0	57.6	64.7	70.8	71.4	52.5	65.2	56.7	56.7	$27,250

Frequently Asked Questions about Sunita L. Williams Elementary

How many students attend Sunita L. Williams Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 533 students attended Sunita L. Williams Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Sunita L. Williams Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sunita L. Williams Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : High Rock School
Middle : Pollard Middle
High : Needham High

Is Sunita L. Williams Elementary a good school?

Yes. Sunita L. Williams Elementary ranks in the top 7.5% of Massachusetts elementary schools.

What district is Sunita L. Williams Elementary in?

Needham

What is the racial makeup of Sunita L. Williams Elementary?

Students at Sunita L. Williams Elementary are 71% White, 11% Asian, 8% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 4% African American.

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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.