Is John Ward a good school?

Yes! John Ward is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 25 th of 932 Massachusetts elementary schools.

How many students attend John Ward?

In the 2021-22 school year, 213 students attended John Ward.

What is the racial makeup of John Ward?

Students at John Ward are 74% White, 12% Asian, 8% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic, 3% African American.

What schools do graduates of John Ward attend?

Students who attend John Ward usually go on to attend: Middle : Bigelow Middle High : Newton North High

John Ward School in Newton Centre MA

Schooldigger 2022 Rankings:

John Ward:

SchoolDigger ranks John Ward 25^th of 932 Massachusetts public elementary schools. (See John Ward in the ranking list.)

Newton:

SchoolDigger ranks Newton 40^th of 353 Massachusetts school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for John Ward

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MA State Percentile
2003	88.25	59^th	884	93.3%
2004	89.86	48^th	882	94.6%
2005	92.21	26^th	887	97.1%
2006	94.12	7^th	911	99.2%
2007	94.90	2^nd	911	99.8%
2008	94.25	7^th	908	99.2%
2009	91.68	27^th	909	97.0%
2010	88.45	62^nd	920	93.3%
2011	92.73	14^th	924	98.5%
2012	95.51	2^nd	930	99.8%
2013	94.95	3^rd	928	99.7%
2014	94.60	5^th	926	99.5%
2015	95.93	3^rd	914	99.7%
2016	91.32	34^th	932	96.4%
2017	86.10	96^th	938	89.8%
2018	91.89	37^th	934	96.0%
2019	84.83	117^th	942	87.6%
2021	94.03	26^th	936	97.2%
2022	94.35	25^th	932	97.3%

Data source: test scores: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4.5)

75%

25%

Reviews:

by a parent
Friday, April 7, 2017

Overall our teachers have been very good. Unfortunately the principal is completely checked out, and has been for years. She doesn't know the names of many of the kids, not to mention the parents. When you approach her with a problem, she states that the school "already has it under control" and then no action is taken. There has been a bullying issue in one grade for a number of years and she has basically turned a blind eye to it. Our family would have a much more favorable view of Ward Elementary if we had an engaged principal who cultivated a sense of community. Close Quote

by a citizen
Friday, November 13, 2015

Yes,
The happiest years of my life were spent as a student at John Ward School.
The only drawback was that we had really nasty lunch attendants.
I still have a baseball book from 1975 that I never returned.
Also Mr. Walsh, our gym teacher, was straight out of the Marine Corps.
He didn't like me because I was a child hippie.
It was the seventies. Close Quote

by a citizen
Tuesday, March 3, 2009

I love this school so much. Almost all my childhood memories are there. The teachers are awsome, kind, and exraordinary, the neighbor hood is kind and safe, and not to mention it's next to a golf course. If any kid asks me which school I recomend, I would say ward school with no hesitation. It was the greatest experience of my life, it was and probably will be the best 6 semesters of my life. Close Quote

Enrollment information for John Ward

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	273	19	18	15	0	n/a	n/a	0	325
1989	299	19	16	20	0	n/a	n/a	0	354
1990	283	18	23	27	0	n/a	n/a	0	351
1991	303	28	28	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	372
1992	285	28	33	32	0	n/a	n/a	0	378
1993	311	25	28	22	0	n/a	n/a	0	386
1994	256	19	23	32	0	n/a	n/a	0	330
1995	290	30	21	25	0	n/a	n/a	0	366
1996	290	30	21	25	0	n/a	n/a	0	366
1997	290	15	31	24	0	n/a	n/a	0	360
1998	279	13	29	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	335
1999	267	13	26	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	319
2000	286	14	29	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	343
2001	276	12	29	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	325
2002	233	11	32	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	281
2003	233	11	32	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	281
2004	223	10	31	8	2	n/a	n/a	0	274
2005	210	7	36	7	2	n/a	n/a	0	262
2006	191	7	31	17	0	n/a	n/a	16	262
2007	186	5	25	8	0	n/a	n/a	13	237
2008	198	3	26	8	0	n/a	n/a	12	247
2009	201	7	30	10	1	0	11	0	260
2010	200	7	29	12	2	0	10	0	260
2011	208	7	25	15	2	0	12	0	269
2012	214	6	31	12	2	0	13	0	278
2013	227	5	35	15	2	0	17	0	301
2014	217	8	33	14	2	0	15	0	289
2015	222	8	38	15	1	0	20	0	304
2016	217	10	40	15	0	0	22	0	304
2017	221	10	48	10	0	0	23	0	312
2018	226	8	38	12	0	0	25	0	309
2019	222	7	38	9	0	0	20	0	296
2020	191	6	32	11	0	0	15	0	255
2021	164	5	27	7	0	0	13	0	216
2022	157	6	25	9	0	0	16	0	213

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at John Ward

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	325	n/a	n/a	n/a
1989	354	n/a	n/a	n/a
1990	351	n/a	n/a	n/a
1991	372	n/a	n/a	n/a
1992	378	n/a	n/a	n/a
1993	386	n/a	0.0	n/a
1994	330	n/a	n/a	n/a
1995	366	n/a	0.0	n/a
1996	366	n/a	0.0	n/a
1997	360	n/a	0.0	n/a
1998	335	n/a	0.0	n/a
1999	319	n/a	0.0	5
2000	343	n/a	0.0	2.3
2001	325	n/a	0.0	3.1
2002	281	n/a	n/a	1.4
2003	281	n/a	n/a	1.4
2004	274	23.0	11.9	1.8
2005	262	20.2	13.0	2.7
2006	262	19.7	13.3	2
2007	237	19.0	12.5	3.6
2008	247	18.8	13.1	2.1
2009	260	17.8	14.6	2.7
2010	260	19.2	13.5	4.6
2011	269	14.3	18.6	3.3
2012	278	13.6	20.3	5
2013	301	19.2	15.6	4
2014	289	20.3	14.2	5.5
2015	304	22.0	13.8	8.6
2016	304	24.0	12.6	n/a
2017	312	22.5	13.8	n/a
2018	309	24.0	12.8	n/a
2019	296	23.8	12.4	n/a
2020	255	22.6	11.2	n/a
2021	216	16.2	13.3	n/a
2022	213	21.8	9.7	n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch

For information about the National School Lunch Program, see the USDA Website

Student/Teacher Ratio John Ward

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	325	n/a	n/a	n/a
1989	354	n/a	n/a	n/a
1990	351	n/a	n/a	n/a
1991	372	n/a	n/a	n/a
1992	378	n/a	n/a	n/a
1993	386	n/a	0.0	n/a
1994	330	n/a	n/a	n/a
1995	366	n/a	0.0	n/a
1996	366	n/a	0.0	n/a
1997	360	n/a	0.0	n/a
1998	335	n/a	0.0	n/a
1999	319	n/a	0.0	5
2000	343	n/a	0.0	2.3
2001	325	n/a	0.0	3.1
2002	281	n/a	n/a	1.4
2003	281	n/a	n/a	1.4
2004	274	23.0	11.9	1.8
2005	262	20.2	13.0	2.7
2006	262	19.7	13.3	2
2007	237	19.0	12.5	3.6
2008	247	18.8	13.1	2.1
2009	260	17.8	14.6	2.7
2010	260	19.2	13.5	4.6
2011	269	14.3	18.6	3.3
2012	278	13.6	20.3	5
2013	301	19.2	15.6	4
2014	289	20.3	14.2	5.5
2015	304	22.0	13.8	8.6
2016	304	24.0	12.6	n/a
2017	312	22.5	13.8	n/a
2018	309	24.0	12.8	n/a
2019	296	23.8	12.4	n/a
2020	255	22.6	11.2	n/a
2021	216	16.2	13.3	n/a
2022	213	21.8	9.7	n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for John Ward

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$784 (4.2%)	$17,731 (95.8%)	$18,516
2020	$638 (3.2%)	$19,424 (96.8%)	$20,062
2021	$1,446 (6.6%)	$20,410 (93.4%)	$21,856

Data source: Massachusetts Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on John Ward

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Pandemic (2021-2022)	Change (%)
Ranks 117^th of 942 Elementary schools	Ranks 25^th of 932 Elementary schools	9.7%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Pandemic (2021-2022)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (John Ward)	95	74.4	20.6%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Newton)	77	65.6	11.4%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)	56	44	12%
3rd Grade Mathematics (John Ward)	100	87.2	12.8%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Newton)	70	64.7	5.3%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)	49	41.1	7.9%
4th Grade English Language Arts (John Ward)	84	83.3	0.7%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Newton)	72	56.4	15.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)	52	38.4	13.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (John Ward)	89	84	5%
4th Grade Mathematics (Newton)	69	64.4	4.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)	49	42.4	6.6%
5th Grade English Language Arts (John Ward)	61	74.3	13.3%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Newton)	73	66.3	6.7%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)	52	40.6	11.4%
5th Grade Mathematics (John Ward)	68	77.1	9.1%
5th Grade Mathematics (Newton)	70	62.4	7.6%
5th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)	49	36.2	12.8%
5th Grade Science (John Ward)	54	60	6%
5th Grade Science (Newton)	63	63.7	0.7%
5th Grade Science (Massachusetts)	48	42.8	5.2%
All Grades English Language Arts (John Ward)	79	76.5	2.5%
All Grades English Language Arts (Newton)	73	65.1	7.9%
All Grades English Language Arts (Massachusetts)	52	41.3	10.8%
All Grades Mathematics (John Ward)	85	82.8	2.2%
All Grades Mathematics (Newton)	73	67.7	5.3%
All Grades Mathematics (Massachusetts)	49	39.1	9.9%
All Grades Science (John Ward)	54	60	6%
All Grades Science (Newton)	66	66.3	0.3%
All Grades Science (Massachusetts)	47	42.3	4.7%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Pandemic (2020-2021)	Change (%)
Total Students	296	216	27%
African American	7	5	28.6%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	38	27	28.9%
Hispanic	9	7	22.2%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	222	164	26.1%
Two or More Races	20	13	35%

John Ward

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Rank History for John Ward

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Enrollment information for John Ward

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at John Ward

Student/Teacher Ratio John Ward

Per Pupil Expenditures for John Ward

Impact of COVID-19 on John Ward

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

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