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John Ward

Public Grades K-5

15^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 899 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 98% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

John Ward is a K–5 elementary school at 10 Dolphin Rd in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, serving 186 students as part of Newton Public Schools, a district that ranks #30 of 351 in Massachusetts (91st percentile, 5 stars). In 2025–2026, John Ward ranked #15 of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools — 98th percentile, 5 stars. Its recent history is mostly top-decile, with one notable dip to 88th percentile in 2023–2024.

On 2025–2026 MCAS Next Generation tests, 77.66% of John Ward students met or exceeded expectations in English language arts, 83.16% in math, and 67.50% in science. Those results beat the Newton district average by 12.47 points in ELA and 14.07 points in math, and sit dramatically above the state (roughly 40% in each subject). Results hold up grade by grade, with 4th grade math (87.88%) and 4th grade ELA (81.82%) the strongest. Among nearby schools, John Ward has the highest ELA and math proficiency. The closest academic rival is Mason-Rice (#28 statewide), which scores higher in science (80.95% vs. 67.50%); Brookline's John D Runkle and Roland Hayes also top John Ward in science but trail in ELA and math. Science is the relative opportunity, though it is tested only in 5th grade, so it may reflect a single cohort.

John Ward's student/teacher ratio was 8.8 in 2024–2025, the lowest among its Newton peers (for example, Bowen at 10.0 and Cabot at 11.0), and its per-student spending of $21,856 in 2020–2021 is moderate for the area — well below Boston's Lyon Elementary School ($41,336), which posts far lower proficiency. Subgroup results suggest broad effectiveness: male students ranked in the top 1% statewide in 2025–2026 and 2024–2025, female students in the top 5%, and special education students in the top 2% in 2021–2022. With only 186 students, individual cohorts can swing school-wide results, and the 2023–2024 dip appeared across multiple groups. One caveat: free/reduced-lunch data was not available, so socioeconomic context cannot be assessed.

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 — 96th percentile in 2016 → 98th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (78% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 2% of Massachusetts elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Newton

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school78%

District avg67%

Massachusetts avg41%

15^th of 899

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Top 2%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 15Elementary Schools in the Newton

30^th of 351Newton 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	95.9	15 of 899	98.3%	★★★★★
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
2026	91.9	41 of 869	95.3%	★★★★★
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
2026	97.2	5 of 879	99.4%	★★★★★
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
2026	90.9	32 of 734	95.6%	★★★★★
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 (2026)99th percentile~ school

Special Education (2022)98th percentile~ school

Tested In Person (2021)97th percentile~ school

White (2026)96th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)95th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2018)84th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics83%+42 vs state

English Language Arts78%+38 vs state

Science68%+27 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

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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)			MCAS Next Generation Civics (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 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	8.6%	114 (61.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (7.0%)	35 (18.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (12.9%)	95.9	15^th of 899 public elementary schools	98.3%		95.2	22^nd of 906 public elementary schools	97.6%	7	77.3	81.8	74.4				77.7	86.4	87.9	77.5				83.2	67.5		67.5		$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	68.9%	77 (15.3%)	90 (17.9%)	285 (56.8%)	36 (7.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.6%)	13.6	801^st of 899 public elementary schools	10.9%		13.3	807^th of 906 public elementary schools	10.9%	6	15.9	18.3	12.1	15.9			15.6	15.9	34.4	20.3	17.1			21.6	14.0		14.0		$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	13.2%	113 (44.7%)	15 (5.9%)	41 (16.2%)	54 (21.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (11.1%)	83.6	140^th of 899 public elementary schools	84.4%		84.5	131^st of 906 public elementary schools	85.5%	9	59.0	63.2	59.1				60.3	64.1	65.8	52.3				60.3	65.9		65.9		$24,362
Lyon Elementary School	Public	K-8	50 Beechcroft Street	Brighton	02135	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-7945	143	21	6.7	40.3%	35 (24.5%)	30 (21.0%)	59 (41.3%)	8 (5.6%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (7.0%)	18.4	742^nd of 899 public elementary schools	17.5%		34.4	600^th of 906 public elementary schools	33.8%	142	23.5	30.8	14.3			12.5	17.7	23.5	38.5	14.3			6.3	19.1	7.1	12.5	10.0	12.5	$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	8.9%	200 (48.3%)	18 (4.3%)	63 (15.2%)	76 (18.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (13.5%)	79.5	173^rd of 899 public elementary schools	80.8%		75.9	225^th of 906 public elementary schools	75.2%	52	60.3	64.2	50.6				57.4	51.5	73.1	61.9				61.3	56.0		56.0		$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	4.8%	195 (60.7%)	5 (1.6%)	20 (6.2%)	64 (19.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	35 (10.9%)	94.3	28^th of 899 public elementary schools	96.9%		95.7	15^th of 906 public elementary schools	98.3%	13	82.3	55.4	81.0				73.5	79.4	67.9	82.5				76.9	81.0		81.0		$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	60.4%	99 (28.0%)	32 (9.1%)	128 (36.3%)	66 (18.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (7.6%)	67.9	282^nd of 899 public elementary schools	68.6%		71.6	266^th of 906 public elementary schools	70.6%	16	40.5	58.5	59.1	60.5			54.7	45.2	53.7	45.5	50.0			48.5	47.7		47.7		$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	10.5%	141 (43.4%)	10 (3.1%)	41 (12.6%)	100 (30.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (10.2%)	80.6	164^th of 899 public elementary schools	81.8%		82.6	150^th of 906 public elementary schools	83.4%	14	53.7	54.0	51.6				53.0	74.1	68.6	54.8				65.3	61.7		61.7		$25,514
Lincoln-Eliot	Public	K-5	150 Jackson Street	Newton	02458	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 559-9540	336	36	9.3	31.2%	129 (38.4%)	24 (7.1%)	71 (21.1%)	74 (22.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (11.3%)	79.7	172^nd of 899 public elementary schools	80.9%		70.8	274^th of 906 public elementary schools	69.8%	102	60.3	42.6	55.2				53.3	64.1	59.3	65.7				63.2	61.2		61.2		$26,479
Roland Hayes	Public	PK, KG-8	100 Eliot Street	Chestnut Hill	02467	Middlesex County	Brookline	No	No	No	No	(617) 879-4570	418	31	13.3	5.5%	217 (51.9%)	27 (6.5%)	51 (12.2%)	71 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (12.4%)	87.2	110^th of 899 public elementary schools	87.8%		88.5	91^st of 906 public elementary schools	90.0%	19	68.6	74.4	61.9	63.3	60.8	79.3	68.1	62.9	71.4	50.0	67.4	64.7	80.4	66.7	64.3	72.6	68.8	80.4	$26,505

Frequently Asked Questions about 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 15^th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools.

How many students attend John Ward?

In the 2024-25 school year, 186 students attended 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

What is the racial makeup of John Ward?

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

Rate John Ward!

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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.