Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Massachusetts rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Birch Meadow

Q: Is Birch Meadow a good school?

Birch Meadow ranks 239 th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

239^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 899 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 73% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Birch Meadow is a K–5 elementary school in Reading, MA, serving 359 students in a high-performing suburban district north of Boston. In 2025–2026 it ranked 239th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools — the 73rd percentile, with 4 stars — while the Reading district ranked 43rd of 351 (88th percentile, 4 stars). Birch Meadow's all-grade proficiency was 53.55% in ELA, 53.55% in math, and 55.74% in science: above state averages (about 40–41%) but below district averages (61.27% ELA, 64.46% math, 65.67% science).

Compared with nearby schools, Birch Meadow lands in the middle-to-lower tier. Within Reading, Joshua Eaton (16th), Alice M. Barrows (120th), J. Warren Killam (150th), and Wood End (152nd) all rank higher, and Birch Meadow has the lowest 2025–2026 ELA, math, and science proficiency among them. Its math is 19.18 points below Wood End and science 15.23 points below. Outside the district, L. D. Batchelder (North Reading, 14th) and Walton (Wakefield, 50th) rank far higher, E. Ethel Little (North Reading, 123rd) is ahead, Woburn Street (Wilmington, 152nd) and Dolbeare (Wakefield, 262nd) are broadly comparable, and Mary D. Altavesta (Woburn, 599th) ranks much lower.

Results vary by grade: 4th grade is a relative bright spot, within roughly 3–4 points of district averages, while 3rd grade math (-18.64), 5th grade math (-16.72), and 5th grade science (-13.35) show the biggest district-relative gaps. Science is the most striking change — above district in 2023–2024 and 2024–2025, then below it in 2025–2026 — and the math gap widened from -4.28 to -10.91 points. A clear strength is effectiveness for special education students, ranked in the 80th–88th percentile in recent years. The student-teacher ratio (10.7) and per-student spending ($17,870) are favorable within Reading, yet outcomes trail peers, suggesting resources alone are not driving results. Free/reduced-lunch data were not reported, spending is from 2020–2021, and ratios are from 2024–2025, so comparisons are directional.

359

Students ?

10.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,866

Per pupil spending ?

6.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

27 A B Lord Dr
Reading, MA 01867

(781) 944-2335

District: Reading

Students who attend Birch Meadow usually attend:

Middle:	Arthur W Coolidge Middle
High:	Reading Memorial High

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.2%

Asian:

5.3%

Two or more races:

5.3%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare Birch Meadow to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 67th percentile in 2017 → 73rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (54% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 73rd (2026) from a 67th-percentile low (2017)

✓Above the Massachusetts median (73rd percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Reading's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school54%

District avg63%

Massachusetts avg41%

239^th of 899

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Top 27%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 21% (2016) to top 27% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Reading

43^rd of 351Reading 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	73.0	239 of 899	73.4%	★★★★☆
2025	76.9	220 of 906	75.7%	★★★★☆
2024	79.9	185 of 916	79.8%	★★★★☆
2023	68.1	295 of 928	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	74.4	230 of 932	75.3%	★★★★☆
2021	72.5	258 of 936	72.4%	★★★★☆
2019	74.7	235 of 942	75.1%	★★★★☆
2018	78.9	180 of 934	80.7%	★★★★☆
2017	66.6	311 of 938	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	77.8	196 of 932	79.0%	★★★★☆
2015	71.1	270 of 914	70.5%	★★★★☆
2014	66.6	322 of 926	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	74.4	242 of 928	73.9%	★★★★☆
2012	66.3	351 of 930	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	69.1	308 of 924	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	65.7	342 of 920	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	56.3	432 of 909	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	56.1	422 of 908	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	79.4	176 of 911	80.7%	★★★★☆
2006	77.8	193 of 911	78.8%	★★★★☆
2005	80.4	171 of 887	80.7%	★★★★☆
2004	77.6	198 of 882	77.6%	★★★★☆
2003	83.9	122 of 884	86.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	75.3	104 of 672	84.5%	★★★★☆
2021	67.5	152 of 632	75.9%	★★★★☆
2019	79.9	87 of 665	86.9%	★★★★☆
2018	88.5	34 of 656	94.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	69.1	262 of 869	69.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.9	314 of 869	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.8	234 of 886	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	63.5	335 of 887	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.3	204 of 901	77.4%	★★★★☆
2021	70.7	252 of 898	71.9%	★★★★☆
2019	70.2	250 of 902	72.3%	★★★★☆
2018	75.9	192 of 893	78.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	53.4	300 of 736	59.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	72.9	232 of 879	73.6%	★★★★☆
2025	82.5	138 of 884	84.4%	★★★★☆
2024	82.3	136 of 891	84.7%	★★★★☆
2023	70.4	264 of 896	70.5%	★★★★☆
2022	69.2	277 of 908	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	71.7	253 of 904	72.0%	★★★★☆
2019	75.4	209 of 907	77.0%	★★★★☆
2018	79.8	157 of 898	82.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	70.9	143 of 709	79.8%	★★★★☆
2025	79.6	89 of 717	87.6%	★★★★☆
2024	75.7	121 of 731	83.4%	★★★★☆
2023	67.7	169 of 703	76.0%	★★★★☆
2022	59.4	304 of 905	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.0	216 of 894	75.8%	★★★★☆
2019	58.2	324 of 896	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.4	253 of 886	71.4%	★★★★☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	72.7	254 of 925	72.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	62.1	265 of 734	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.5	211 of 737	71.4%	★★★★☆
2024	71.8	191 of 753	74.6%	★★★★☆
2023	57.9	315 of 762	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.6	268 of 764	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.0	273 of 765	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.9	271 of 780	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.1	222 of 772	71.2%	★★★★☆

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)

Disabled (2022)85th percentile+9 vs school

Special Education (2026)80th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)74th percentile~ school

Tested In Person (2021)73rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)70th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)64th percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)59th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

Science56%+15 vs state

English Language Arts54%+14 vs state

Mathematics54%+12 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Birch Meadow and help other families decide.

Rate Birch Meadow

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Birch Meadow

Load more schools when map is moved

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
Birch Meadow	Public	K-5	27 A B Lord Dr	Reading	01867	Middlesex County	Reading	No	No	No	No	(781) 944-2335	359	33	10.7	6.2%	295 (82.2%)	10 (2.8%)	16 (4.5%)	19 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.3%)	73	239^th of 899 public elementary schools	73.4%		76.9	220^th of 906 public elementary schools	75.7%	19	51.6	56.7	52.5	53.6	46.8	58.3	55.7	53.6	55.7	55.7	$19,866
Wood End Elementary School	Public	K-5	85 Sunset Rock Lane	Reading	01867	Middlesex County	Reading	No	No	No	No	(781) 942-5420	236	18	13.3	8.1%	200 (84.7%)	2 (0.8%)	10 (4.2%)	16 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.4%)	82	152^nd of 899 public elementary schools	83.1%		77.6	210^th of 906 public elementary schools	76.8%	58	79.4	37.8	54.8	55.5	85.3	57.8	80.7	72.7	71.0	71.0	$19,634
J Warren Killam	Public	K-5	333 Charles Street	Reading	01867	Middlesex County	Reading	No	No	No	No	(781) 944-7831	406	30	13.4	16.4%	321 (79.1%)	21 (5.2%)	26 (6.4%)	30 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.7%)	82.2	150^th of 899 public elementary schools	83.3%		84.4	135^th of 906 public elementary schools	85.1%	15	55.9	60.0	54.4	57.1	61.0	57.3	66.7	61.3	68.4	68.4	$16,637
Alice M Barrows	Public	K-5	16 Edgemont Avenue	Reading	01867	Middlesex County	Reading	No	No	No	No	(781) 942-9166	365	29	12.8	7.0%	312 (85.5%)	6 (1.6%)	19 (5.2%)	16 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.3%)	86	120^th of 899 public elementary schools	86.7%		85.2	123^rd of 906 public elementary schools	86.4%	3	46.3	74.6	74.2	64.6	58.5	66.7	85.5	70.0	72.6	72.6	$17,956
Joshua Eaton	Public	K-5	365 Summer Avenue	Reading	01867	Middlesex County	Reading	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 942-9161	388	28	13.7	11.7%	318 (82.0%)	8 (2.1%)	30 (7.7%)	17 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.9%)	95.9	16^th of 899 public elementary schools	98.2%		89	83^rd of 906 public elementary schools	90.8%	67	88.1	71.2	78.1	79.2	85.1	68.2	76.6	76.7	77.8	77.8	$17,102
E Ethel Little School	Public	PK, KG-5	7 Barberry Lane	North Reading	01864	Middlesex County	North Reading	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 664-7820	303	25	11.9	9.4%	257 (84.8%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.6%)	14 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.0%)	85.3	123^rd of 899 public elementary schools	86.3%		90	69^th of 906 public elementary schools	92.4%	54	58.5	70.7	59.2	62.2	52.8	82.9	65.3	65.7	67.4	67.4	$20,042
Walton	Public	K-4	18 Davidson Road	Wakefield	01880	Middlesex County	Wakefield	No	No	No	No	(781) 246-6494	218	16	13.5	10.6%	184 (84.4%)	4 (1.8%)	18 (8.3%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	7 (3.2%)	92.2	50^th of 899 public elementary schools	94.4%		71.8	263^rd of 906 public elementary schools	71.0%	213	62.2	65.1		63.8	81.1	77.3		79.0			$18,361
Dolbeare	Public	K-4	340 Lowell Street	Wakefield	01880	Middlesex County	Wakefield	No	No	No	No	(781) 246-6480	443	37	11.9	9.8%	378 (85.3%)	6 (1.4%)	35 (7.9%)	15 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.0%)	70.3	262^nd of 899 public elementary schools	70.9%		77.9	204^th of 906 public elementary schools	77.5%	58	44.3	48.2		46.3	55.7	64.7		60.4			$19,342
Woburn Street	Public	1-3	227 Woburn Street	Wilmington	01887	Middlesex County	Wilmington	No	No	No	No	(978) 694-6020	368	31	11.7	13.1%	282 (76.6%)	12 (3.3%)	34 (9.2%)	22 (6.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.6%)								(n/a)	54.1			54.1	51.1			51.1			$22,370
Mary D Altavesta	Public	K-5	980 1/2 Main Street	Woburn	01801	Middlesex County	Woburn	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 937-8235	248	24	10.2	36.2%	118 (47.6%)	36 (14.5%)	57 (23.0%)	21 (8.5%)	4 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.8%)	33.7	599^th of 899 public elementary schools	33.4%		16.7	773^rd of 906 public elementary schools	14.7%	174	47.1	46.2	20.6	38.3	42.9	15.4	20.6	25.9	21.2	21.2	$22,263

Frequently Asked Questions about Birch Meadow

What schools do graduates of Birch Meadow attend?

Students who attend Birch Meadow usually go on to attend:

Middle : Arthur W Coolidge Middle
High : Reading Memorial High

Is Birch Meadow a good school?

Birch Meadow ranks 239^th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Birch Meadow?

Students at Birch Meadow are 82% White, 5% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic, 3% African American.

What district is Birch Meadow in?

Reading

How many students attend Birch Meadow?

In the 2024-25 school year, 359 students attended Birch Meadow.

Rate Birch Meadow!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MAMassachusetts Elementary School Rankings

MAMassachusetts District Rankings

Schools in Reading, MA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Birch Meadow!

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.