Summary
L D Batchelder is a K–5 elementary school in North Reading, Massachusetts, serving 462 students as part of the North Reading district. In 2025–2026 it ranked 14th out of 899 elementary schools statewide — the 98th percentile, or 5 stars — and it has earned 5 stars in every recent year except 2016–2017, including a 7th-place statewide finish in 2024–2025 and 6th place in 2018–2019. The North Reading district ranks 33rd of 351 districts in Massachusetts, so this school stands out even within a strong district.
Test results are far above both district and state averages. In 2025–2026, 72.85% of students reached proficiency in ELA, 78.73% in math, and 91.25% in science, compared with state rates near 40% in each subject. Science is a particular signature: 91.25 is more than double the state rate and 16.52 points above the district. Compared with nearby schools, L D Batchelder leads in math and science and ranks first in ELA as well — ahead of Summer Street in Lynnfield (the closest ELA competitor, at 71.79), Wood End Elementary School, J Warren Killam, and Birch Meadow. Same-district peers J Turner Hood (246th) and E Ethel Little School (123rd) are solid schools, but both rank far below L D Batchelder's 14th place.
Grade-level data show particular strength in early math and fifth-grade science: third-grade math reached 80.6 (district 53.96, state 42.19), fourth-grade math 85.14, and fifth-grade science 91.25. The lowest grade-level result, third-grade ELA at 67.16, is still well above the state. The school also appears unusually effective across student groups, including a No. 1 statewide rank among special education students in 2024–2025. It achieves these results with the highest student–teacher ratio among nearby schools (14.7 in 2024–2025) and mid-range per-student spending, though spending figures date to 2020–2021 and should be read cautiously. Some data, such as free/reduced-lunch figures, are unavailable, so economic context cannot be assessed.
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