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John Ward

Public Grades K-5

22^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 906 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 98% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

John Ward is an exemplary elementary school located in Newton Centre, MA, serving 212 students in grades K-5. As part of the highly-ranked Newton school district, John Ward has consistently been one of the top-performing elementary schools in the state, ranking in the top 25-50 schools for most years over the past decade.

John Ward significantly outperforms the state and Newton district averages on MCAS Next Generation assessments across all grades and subjects. In 2024-2025, 79.21% of John Ward students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 66.43% in Newton and 41.53% statewide. In math, 85% of John Ward students were proficient or better, compared to 69.38% in Newton and 40.74% statewide. The school's exceptional performance extends across different student subgroups, including female, male, white, and special education students.

John Ward's ability to maintain a top 25-50 ranking in the state for 8 out of the last 10 years is an impressive feat, demonstrating the school's strong leadership, teaching, and support systems. While John Ward is a high-performing school, there may be opportunities to further improve outcomes for certain student groups or subject areas, such as science proficiency. Overall, John Ward is an exemplary elementary school that consistently delivers outstanding academic outcomes for its students, making it a standout institution within the Newton district and the state of Massachusetts.

186

Students ?

8.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,500

Per pupil spending ?

8.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

10 Dolphin Rd
Newton Centre, MA 02459

(617) 559-6450

District: Newton

Students who attend John Ward usually attend:

Middle:	Bigelow Middle
High:	Newton North High

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.3%

Asian:

18.8%

Two or more races:

12.9%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare John Ward to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 100th percentile in 2015 → 98th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (80% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 2% of Massachusetts elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Newton

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school80%

District avg68%

Massachusetts avg41%

22^nd of 906

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Top 2%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 15Elementary Schools in the Newton

34^th of 348Newton 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	95.2	22 of 906	97.6%	★★★★★
2024	86.6	111 of 916	87.9%	★★★★☆
2023	92.5	53 of 928	94.3%	★★★★★
2022	94.3	25 of 932	97.3%	★★★★★
2021	94.0	26 of 936	97.2%	★★★★★
2019	84.8	117 of 942	87.6%	★★★★☆
2018	91.9	37 of 934	96.0%	★★★★★
2017	86.1	96 of 938	89.8%	★★★★☆
2016	91.3	34 of 932	96.4%	★★★★★
2015	95.9	3 of 914	99.7%	★★★★★
2014	94.6	5 of 926	99.5%	★★★★★
2013	95.0	3 of 928	99.7%	★★★★★
2012	95.5	2 of 930	99.8%	★★★★★
2011	92.7	14 of 924	98.5%	★★★★★
2010	88.4	62 of 920	93.3%	★★★★★
2009	91.7	27 of 909	97.0%	★★★★★
2008	94.3	7 of 908	99.2%	★★★★★
2007	94.9	2 of 911	99.8%	★★★★★
2006	94.1	7 of 911	99.2%	★★★★★
2005	92.2	26 of 887	97.1%	★★★★★
2004	89.9	48 of 882	94.6%	★★★★★
2003	88.3	59 of 884	93.3%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2018	75.7	108 of 656	83.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	92.8	34 of 869	96.1%	★★★★★
2024	87.4	85 of 886	90.4%	★★★★★
2023	91.3	45 of 887	94.9%	★★★★★
2022	94.1	21 of 901	97.7%	★★★★★
2021	95.0	13 of 898	98.6%	★★★★★
2019	80.6	145 of 902	83.9%	★★★★☆
2018	89.9	43 of 893	95.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	94.8	12 of 884	98.6%	★★★★★
2024	83.5	130 of 891	85.4%	★★★★☆
2023	89.9	66 of 896	92.6%	★★★★★
2022	92.2	43 of 908	95.3%	★★★★★
2021	88.6	82 of 904	90.9%	★★★★★
2019	86.5	94 of 907	89.6%	★★★★☆
2018	90.7	44 of 898	95.1%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	94.4	21 of 905	97.7%	★★★★★
2021	88.7	54 of 894	94.0%	★★★★★
2019	61.3	281 of 896	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	82.2	91 of 886	89.7%	★★★★☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	93.7	27 of 925	97.1%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	92.6	24 of 737	96.7%	★★★★★
2024	78.9	124 of 753	83.5%	★★★★☆
2023	87.3	62 of 762	91.9%	★★★★★
2022	87.0	58 of 764	92.4%	★★★★★
2021	90.5	27 of 765	96.5%	★★★★★
2019	79.2	119 of 780	84.7%	★★★★☆
2018	87.2	49 of 772	93.7%	★★★★★

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)99th percentile~ school

Special Education (2022)98th percentile~ school

Tested In Person (2021)97th percentile~ school

White (2025)97th percentile~ school

Female (2025)96th percentile~ school

Disabled (2018)84th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics85%+44 vs state

English Language Arts79%+38 vs state

Science70%+28 vs state

4.5

4 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★3

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

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

Schools Near John Ward

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 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 4th Grade	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 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 4th Grade	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
John Ward	Public	K-5	10 Dolphin Rd	Newton Centre	02459	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-6450	186	21	8.8		114 (61.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (7.0%)	35 (18.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (12.9%)	95.2	22^nd of 906 public elementary schools	97.6%		86.6	111^th of 916 public elementary schools	87.9%	89	93.3	65.8	81.8				79.2	96.7	83.8	75.8				85.0	69.7		69.7		$26,500
Edison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	60 Glenmont Road	Brighton	02135	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8436	502	57	8.8		77 (15.3%)	90 (17.9%)	285 (56.8%)	36 (7.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.6%)	13.3	807^th of 906 public elementary schools	10.9%		12.6	828^th of 916 public elementary schools	9.6%	21	10.8	17.9	17.1	16.4			15.5	12.1	25.0	20.0	22.2			19.7	21.6		21.6		$38,326
Underwood	Public	K-5	101 Vernon Street	Newton	02458	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 559-9660	253	23	11.1		113 (44.7%)	15 (5.9%)	41 (16.2%)	54 (21.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (11.1%)	84.5	131^st of 906 public elementary schools	85.5%		86.8	110^th of 916 public elementary schools	88.0%	21	51.4	64.6	84.9				66.4	57.1	56.3	78.8				62.9	84.9		84.9		$24,362
Lyon K-8 School	Public	K-8	50 Beechcroft Street	Brighton	02135	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-7945	143	21	6.7		35 (24.5%)	30 (21.0%)	59 (41.3%)	8 (5.6%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (7.0%)	34.4	600^th of 906 public elementary schools	33.8%		47.2	500^th of 916 public elementary schools	45.4%	100	35.7	37.5	9.1	35.3	10.5	5.3	21.9	42.9	31.3	18.2	41.2	15.8	0.0	24.0	27.3	5.3	13.3	15.8	$51,787
Cabot	Public	K-5	229 Cabot Street	Newtonville	02460	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-9400	414	38	11.0		200 (48.3%)	18 (4.3%)	63 (15.2%)	76 (18.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (13.5%)	75.9	225^th of 906 public elementary schools	75.2%		65.6	315^th of 916 public elementary schools	65.6%	90	49.1	53.8	60.3				54.9	58.6	62.0	52.5				57.6	60.0		60.0		$25,166
Mason-Rice	Public	K-5	149 Pleasant Street	Newton Centre	02459	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-9570	321	27	11.7		195 (60.7%)	5 (1.6%)	20 (6.2%)	64 (19.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	35 (10.9%)	95.7	15^th of 906 public elementary schools	98.3%		95.2	17^th of 916 public elementary schools	98.1%	2	76.4	77.2	77.2				76.9	80.0	79.0	71.9				76.9	80.7		80.7		$24,660
Winship Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	54 Dighton Street	Brighton	02135	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8399	353	25	13.8		99 (28.0%)	32 (9.1%)	128 (36.3%)	66 (18.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (7.6%)	71.6	266^th of 906 public elementary schools	70.6%		70.6	274^th of 916 public elementary schools	70.1%	8	66.7	50.0	60.9	52.1			57.4	60.0	43.2	50.0	45.8			49.7	56.5		56.5		$31,481
Bowen	Public	K-5	280 Cypress Street	Newton Centre	02459	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-9330	325	33	10.0		141 (43.4%)	10 (3.1%)	41 (12.6%)	100 (30.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (10.2%)	82.6	150^th of 906 public elementary schools	83.4%		88.1	99^th of 916 public elementary schools	89.2%	51	55.6	51.6	63.5				57.0	66.7	64.5	58.7				63.1	74.6		74.6		$25,514
Lincoln-Eliot	Public	K-5	191 Pearl Street	Newton	02458	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 559-9540	336	36	9.3		129 (38.4%)	24 (7.1%)	71 (21.1%)	74 (22.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (11.3%)	70.8	274^th of 906 public elementary schools	69.8%		82.2	153^rd of 916 public elementary schools	83.3%	121	44.0	50.0	54.6				49.3	54.0	66.1	54.6				58.7	54.6		54.6		$26,479
Roland Hayes	Public	PK, KG-8	100 Eliot Street	Chestnut Hill	02467	Norfolk County	Brookline	No	No	No	No	(617) 879-4570	418	31	13.3		217 (51.9%)	27 (6.5%)	51 (12.2%)	71 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (12.4%)	88.5	91^st of 906 public elementary schools	90.0%		89.3	84^th of 916 public elementary schools	90.8%	7	61.5	75.0	66.0	70.8	83.6	78.4	73.0	71.8	70.5	55.6	64.6	83.3	61.1	68.4	67.4	59.5	63.9	74.3	$26,505

Frequently Asked Questions about John Ward

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

How many students attend John Ward?

In the 2024-25 school year, 186 students attended John Ward.

What district is John Ward in?

Newton

Is John Ward a good school?

Yes! John Ward is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 22^nd of 906 Massachusetts elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of John Ward?

Students at John Ward are 61% White, 19% Asian, 13% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic.

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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.