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John Eliot

Q: Is John Eliot a good school?

John Eliot ranks 127 th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

127^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 899 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 86% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

John Eliot is a K–5 elementary school with 397 students in Needham, MA, part of Needham Public Schools, a district that ranks 20th of 351 in Massachusetts (94th percentile, 5 stars). John Eliot itself holds a 4-star rating and ranked 127th of 899 elementary schools statewide in 2025–2026 (86th percentile) — a meaningful climb from 347th of 942 (63rd percentile) in 2018–2019, and roughly level with its 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 results.

On the 2025–2026 MCAS, all-grade proficiency was 58.69% in English language arts, 66.20% in math, and 62.12% in science — well above state averages but below Needham's district averages of 69.08%, 73.33%, and 67.13%. Within Needham, Newman Elementary (43rd), Broadmeadow (71st), and Sunita L. Williams Elementary (70th) rank higher, while William Mitchell sits close behind at 118th. Grade-level results show a clear split: 3rd-grade math reached 75.00%, the highest among all nearby schools listed, while 4th-grade ELA (53.33%) was the lowest and 5th-grade math (59.09%) and science (62.12%) fell below both district and Needham peer averages. Compared with surrounding Newton and Wellesley schools, John Eliot is roughly comparable to Peirce and Zervas, but behind Countryside, Joseph E Fiske, Schofield, and A E Angier.

Subgroup results show male students at the 91st percentile, special education students at the 85th (down from the 95th–97th range), and low-income students at the 60th percentile — the lowest reported subgroup and a possible equity focus. Class size is a relative advantage: an 11.7 student–teacher ratio, lower than all nearby Needham schools. Per-student spending was $20,563 in 2020–2021, mid-range locally. Note that free/reduced lunch data is not reported and spending figures are several years old, so some comparisons should be read cautiously.

397

Students ?

11.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,205

Per pupil spending ?

12.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

135 Wellesley Avenue
Needham, MA 02494

(781) 455-0452

District: Needham

Students who attend John Eliot usually attend:

Middle:	High Rock School
	Pollard Middle
High:	Needham High

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.7%

Asian:

21.2%

Two or more races:

9.1%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare John Eliot to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 80th percentile in 2016 → 86th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (62% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 14% of Massachusetts elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Needham's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school62%

District avg71%

Massachusetts avg41%

127^th of 899

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Top 14%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From top 20% (2016) to top 14% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Needham

20^th of 351Needham 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	84.8	127 of 899	85.9%	★★★★☆
2025	87.0	106 of 906	88.3%	★★★★☆
2024	87.2	106 of 916	88.4%	★★★★☆
2023	78.6	196 of 928	78.9%	★★★★☆
2022	75.2	222 of 932	76.2%	★★★★☆
2021	81.6	157 of 936	83.2%	★★★★☆
2019	63.1	347 of 942	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.1	205 of 934	78.1%	★★★★☆
2017	80.9	166 of 938	82.3%	★★★★☆
2016	78.6	185 of 932	80.2%	★★★★☆
2015	65.8	328 of 914	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	74.8	226 of 926	75.6%	★★★★☆
2013	76.5	210 of 928	77.4%	★★★★☆
2012	71.7	279 of 930	70.0%	★★★★☆
2011	74.6	247 of 924	73.3%	★★★★☆
2010	75.4	232 of 920	74.8%	★★★★☆
2009	63.3	360 of 909	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	66.5	314 of 908	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	70.6	274 of 911	69.9%	★★★★☆
2006	76.0	213 of 911	76.6%	★★★★☆
2005	50.5	466 of 887	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	63.9	348 of 882	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2003	62.2	370 of 884	58.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2023	63.9	44 of 167	73.7%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	80.7	17 of 149	88.6%	★★★★☆
2025	75.3	30 of 142	78.9%	★★★★☆
2024	61.1	68 of 152	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.1	84 of 145	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.0	104 of 143	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	47.0	98 of 141	30.5%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	63.0	189 of 672	71.9%	★★★★☆
2021	51.4	250 of 632	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.3	230 of 665	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.1	215 of 656	67.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	79.0	159 of 869	81.7%	★★★★☆
2025	81.8	144 of 869	83.4%	★★★★☆
2024	81.6	152 of 886	82.8%	★★★★☆
2023	68.4	283 of 887	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.9	292 of 901	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	75.3	211 of 898	76.5%	★★★★☆
2019	66.9	288 of 902	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.1	244 of 893	72.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	54.6	296 of 742	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.5	388 of 757	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	60.5	254 of 772	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.5	87 of 685	87.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	88.1	78 of 879	91.1%	★★★★★
2025	88.5	76 of 884	91.4%	★★★★★
2024	88.4	77 of 891	91.4%	★★★★★
2023	81.4	148 of 896	83.5%	★★★★☆
2022	78.8	163 of 908	82.0%	★★★★☆
2021	81.4	157 of 904	82.6%	★★★★☆
2019	58.6	377 of 907	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	78.3	179 of 898	80.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	75.1	108 of 709	84.8%	★★★★☆
2025	88.8	39 of 717	94.6%	★★★★★
2024	91.3	24 of 731	96.7%	★★★★★
2023	64.5	188 of 703	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	55.8	354 of 905	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.8	290 of 894	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.1	477 of 896	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.5	261 of 886	70.5%	★★★★☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	81.5	161 of 925	82.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	67.5	213 of 734	71.0%	★★★★☆
2025	78.4	128 of 737	82.6%	★★★★☆
2024	77.6	136 of 753	81.9%	★★★★☆
2023	68.8	214 of 762	71.9%	★★★★☆
2022	65.0	244 of 764	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	81.1	116 of 765	84.8%	★★★★☆
2019	50.8	403 of 780	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	70.1	212 of 772	72.5%	★★★★☆

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 (2026)91st percentile+5 vs school

Asian (2026)89th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2026)85th percentile~ school

Tested In Person (2021)83rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)82nd percentile-4 vs school

African American (2023)74th percentile-5 vs school

Disabled (2022)72nd percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)71st percentile-15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)60th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics66%+25 vs state

Science62%+21 vs state

English Language Arts59%+19 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, August 19, 2016

Do not send your kids here. My son encountered discrimination and outright racism numerous times within his second grade classroom and his own teacher called the incidences "flukes". The principal did not do anything to stop it from happening again and again during the school year. School administrative staff was unprofessional and gossiped about it but would not actually discuss the incidents with teaching staff to try to prevent them from happening again in the future. Truly a horrible experience which is why we have moved out of Needham. Close Quote

Schools Near John Eliot

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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)		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 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
John Eliot	Public	K-5	135 Wellesley Avenue	Needham	02494	Norfolk County	Needham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 455-0452	397	34	11.7	12.1%	221 (55.7%)	21 (5.3%)	35 (8.8%)	84 (21.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.1%)	84.8	127^th of 899 public elementary schools	85.9%		87	106^th of 906 public elementary schools	88.3%	21	65.3	53.3	57.6	58.7	75.0	64.0	59.1	66.2	62.1	62.1	$24,205
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	6.9%	376 (70.5%)	23 (4.3%)	30 (5.6%)	59 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (8.3%)	90.3	70^th of 899 public elementary schools	92.2%		90.1	68^th of 906 public elementary schools	92.5%	2	68.2	69.5	73.7	70.6	52.8	78.1	72.9	67.8	71.9	71.9	$24,076
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	11.1%	152 (54.7%)	14 (5.0%)	23 (8.3%)	77 (27.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.3%)	96.1	13^th of 899 public elementary schools	98.6%		96.3	11^th of 906 public elementary schools	98.8%	2	79.2	92.1	82.9	84.3	68.8	84.2	74.3	75.2	80.0	80.0	$24,897
Schofield	Public	K-5	27 Cedar Street	Wellesley	02481	Norfolk County	Wellesley	No	No	No	No	(781) 446-6280	291	27	10.9	9.5%	190 (65.3%)	8 (2.7%)	29 (10.0%)	45 (15.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (6.2%)	93.6	37^th of 899 public elementary schools	95.9%		90.6	61^st of 906 public elementary schools	93.3%	24	68.1	76.4	74.6	73.3	74.5	75.9	71.2	73.8	67.8	67.8	$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	7.0%	232 (60.6%)	14 (3.7%)	19 (5.0%)	72 (18.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (11.5%)	94	33^rd of 899 public elementary schools	96.3%		95.7	14^th of 906 public elementary schools	98.5%	19	64.8	60.3	76.5	67.4	72.2	76.1	86.8	78.8	85.1	85.1	$25,777
William Mitchell	Public	K-5	187 Brookline Street	Needham	02492	Norfolk County	Needham	No	No	No	No	(781) 455-0466	424	34	12.5	3.3%	323 (76.2%)	14 (3.3%)	19 (4.5%)	42 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.1%)	86.2	118^th of 899 public elementary schools	86.9%		92.1	47^th of 906 public elementary schools	94.8%	71	54.8	63.5	61.8	59.6	61.9	65.1	76.3	67.7	69.7	69.7	$23,045
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	7.2%	496 (71.3%)	19 (2.7%)	59 (8.5%)	82 (11.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (5.6%)	92.7	43^rd of 899 public elementary schools	95.2%		94.1	31^st of 906 public elementary schools	96.6%	12	77.4	61.5	71.6	70.6	72.4	77.1	68.0	72.4	68.0	68.0	$24,956
Zervas	Public	K-5	30 Beethoven Avenue	Waban	02468	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 559-6750	399	35	11.3	9.7%	178 (44.6%)	32 (8.0%)	43 (10.8%)	94 (23.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	49 (12.3%)	83.1	143^rd of 899 public elementary schools	84.1%		79.7	186^th of 906 public elementary schools	79.5%	43	70.9	55.4	55.2	59.9	64.8	62.2	56.1	61.1	61.4	61.4	$26,900
Countryside	Public	K-5	191 Dedham Street	Newton Highlands	02461	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-9450	369	38	9.7	13.1%	180 (48.8%)	23 (6.2%)	35 (9.5%)	92 (24.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (10.6%)	88.4	97^th of 899 public elementary schools	89.2%		84	137^th of 906 public elementary schools	84.9%	40	55.7	64.3	76.2	65.5	65.6	68.1	69.8	67.9	66.7	66.7	$27,250
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

Frequently Asked Questions about John Eliot

How many students attend John Eliot?

In the 2024-25 school year, 397 students attended John Eliot.

What schools do graduates of John Eliot attend?

Students who attend John Eliot usually go on to attend:

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

What is the racial makeup of John Eliot?

Students at John Eliot are 56% White, 21% Asian, 9% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic, 5% African American.

What district is John Eliot in?

Needham

Is John Eliot a good school?

John Eliot ranks 127^th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate John Eliot!

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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.