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Paxton Center

Q: Is Paxton Center a good school?

Paxton Center ranks 301 st of 906 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-8

301^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 906 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 67% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Paxton Center is an elementary school located in Paxton, MA, serving 432 students in grades K-8. It is part of the Wachusett school district, which is ranked 83 out of 348 districts in Massachusetts and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. Paxton Center has seen its statewide ranking fluctuate over the years, ranging from 145th to 361st out of Massachusetts elementary schools, with a current 3-star rating.

Paxton Center generally performs better than the state average in MCAS Next Generation assessments for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. The school's male students and special education students perform particularly well, ranking 250th and 164th out of Massachusetts elementary schools, respectively. However, the school's female and white student subgroups have lower rankings, at 337th and 306th, respectively. Paxton Center's spending per student has fluctuated in recent years, ranging from $12,587 to $17,580, with the most recent figure of $13,904 in 2020-2021. The school has maintained a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 13.5 to 13.9 over the past few years, which is lower than the nearby Wachusett district schools.

Paxton Center significantly outperforms the nearby Worcester and Leicester schools in MCAS assessments, with proficiency rates that are often more than double the rates of these lower-performing schools. However, the school's ranking and rating have fluctuated over the years, suggesting the need for continued focus on data-driven decision-making and targeted interventions to maintain and improve its strong performance.

448

Students ?

12.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,802

Per pupil spending ?

17.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

19 West Street
Paxton, MA 01612-1013

(508) 798-8576

District: Wachusett

Students who attend Paxton Center usually attend:

High:

Wachusett Regional High

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.4%

Hispanic:

8.7%

Two or more races:

3.8%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare Paxton Center to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 68th percentile in 2015 → 67th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (51% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Above the Massachusetts median (67th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Wachusett's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school51%

District avg54%

Massachusetts avg41%

Elementary school

301^st of 906

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Top 33%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

152^nd of 484

Massachusetts public middle schools ?

Top 31%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From top 37% (2015) to top 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Wachusett

83^rd of 348Wachusett 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	68.0	301 of 906	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.6	344 of 916	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.6	329 of 928	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.8	329 of 932	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.1	361 of 936	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.5	251 of 942	73.4%	★★★★☆
2018	82.4	145 of 934	84.5%	★★★★☆
2017	81.6	158 of 938	83.2%	★★★★☆
2016	61.6	373 of 932	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	69.0	295 of 914	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	74.4	233 of 926	74.8%	★★★★☆
2013	71.8	276 of 928	70.3%	★★★★☆
2012	78.6	191 of 930	79.5%	★★★★☆
2011	80.1	172 of 924	81.4%	★★★★☆
2010	80.3	170 of 920	81.5%	★★★★☆
2009	78.1	191 of 909	79.0%	★★★★☆
2008	73.9	241 of 908	73.5%	★★★★☆
2007	84.6	108 of 911	88.1%	★★★★☆
2006	85.3	110 of 911	87.9%	★★★★☆
2005	79.3	182 of 887	79.5%	★★★★☆
2004	73.4	250 of 882	71.7%	★★★★☆
2003	73.1	252 of 884	71.5%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	48.0	298 of 672	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.6	395 of 632	37.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	61.5	337 of 869	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.0	360 of 886	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.4	368 of 887	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.7	325 of 901	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.1	362 of 898	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	82.6	123 of 902	86.4%	★★★★☆
2018	84.8	93 of 893	89.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	51.5	325 of 736	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.8	410 of 760	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.6	309 of 772	60.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	71.7	250 of 884	71.7%	★★★★☆
2024	63.0	323 of 891	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.7	298 of 896	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.6	330 of 908	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.5	334 of 904	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.0	349 of 907	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	78.3	180 of 898	80.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	66.1	164 of 717	77.1%	★★★★☆
2024	57.4	242 of 731	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.9	515 of 905	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.5	526 of 894	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.5	332 of 896	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	83.8	80 of 886	91.0%	★★★★★

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	61.2	372 of 925	59.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	58.7	306 of 737	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.1	381 of 753	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.0	352 of 762	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.9	342 of 764	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.7	357 of 765	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.4	279 of 780	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.8	180 of 772	76.7%	★★★★☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	65.6	152 of 484	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.9	125 of 493	74.6%	★★★★☆
2023	68.8	141 of 501	71.9%	★★★★☆
2022	63.0	164 of 497	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.4	200 of 501	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.5	163 of 498	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.5	156 of 484	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	75.4	116 of 487	76.2%	★★★★☆
2016	65.7	157 of 482	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	64.3	162 of 441	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	79.0	92 of 455	79.8%	★★★★☆
2013	77.7	95 of 455	79.1%	★★★★☆
2012	85.0	54 of 455	88.1%	★★★★☆
2011	82.3	73 of 449	83.7%	★★★★☆
2010	79.5	86 of 434	80.2%	★★★★☆
2009	86.7	43 of 409	89.5%	★★★★☆
2008	84.2	58 of 407	85.7%	★★★★☆
2007	88.4	27 of 399	93.2%	★★★★★
2006	85.7	51 of 399	87.2%	★★★★☆
2005	82.5	66 of 356	81.5%	★★★★☆
2004	73.4	96 of 344	72.1%	★★★★☆
2003	83.7	58 of 339	82.9%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	39.2	229 of 445	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.4	154 of 431	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.3	219 of 424	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.2	321 of 417	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	68.4	134 of 473	71.7%	★★★★☆
2024	71.9	122 of 481	74.6%	★★★★☆
2023	61.1	165 of 489	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.4	192 of 494	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.5	230 of 483	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.7	132 of 478	72.4%	★★★★☆
2018	63.1	169 of 463	63.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	86.9	33 of 464	92.9%	★★★★★
2023	59.0	170 of 481	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.8	193 of 489	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.3	256 of 462	44.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	57.4	178 of 473	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.7	133 of 483	72.5%	★★★★☆
2023	73.0	117 of 489	76.1%	★★★★☆
2022	69.1	129 of 497	74.0%	★★★★☆
2021	58.8	182 of 485	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.9	186 of 478	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.0	140 of 466	70.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	53.3	141 of 435	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.6	165 of 441	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.8	200 of 444	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.3	275 of 503	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.0	218 of 489	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.8	209 of 484	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.3	236 of 467	49.5%	★★☆☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	55.5	199 of 491	59.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	54.2	151 of 386	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.2	141 of 392	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.5	176 of 403	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.6	182 of 404	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.7	216 of 401	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.1	204 of 396	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.7	166 of 395	58.0%	★★★☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Special Education (2025)77th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)72nd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)61st percentile-6 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)60th percentile~ school

White (2025)58th percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)56th percentile-11 vs school

Disabled (2022)56th percentile-9 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)93rd percentile+24 vs school

Female (2025)72nd percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2025)68th percentile~ school

Male (2025)62nd percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)61st percentile-8 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)59th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)49th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?

Science60%+19 vs state

Mathematics54%+13 vs state

English Language Arts47%+5 vs state

Civics38%~ state avg

5.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, June 12, 2017

Curriculum is challenging and school location is very nice. Prepares students who WANT to learn very well. Budget is very low, however. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, December 10, 2014

This is a great little gem of a school. Wonderful administrative staff and well educated capable teachers. We found it to be a very safe wholesome environment that offers and all around education. It has all the best features of a public school; bully policy that is respected and rules that apply equally to all while being small enough to resemble a private school in practical reality. My child has done well there. Paxton is a beautiful town as well. Close Quote

Schools Near Paxton Center

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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 (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
Paxton Center	Public	K-8	19 West Street	Paxton	01612	Worcester County	Wachusett	No	No	No	No	(508) 798-8576	448	35	12.7		369 (82.4%)	10 (2.2%)	39 (8.7%)	12 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.8%)	68	301^st of 906 public elementary schools	66.8%		62.6	344^th of 916 public elementary schools	62.4%	43	63.4	58.3	32.1	28.6	44.2	56.4	46.7	61.0	52.1	50.9	77.1	40.5	42.9	53.8	60.4	60.0	60.2	37.5	$16,802
West Tatnuck	Public	PK, KG-6	300 Mower Street	Worcester	01602	Worcester County	Worcester	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 799-3596	343	24	14.4		168 (49.0%)	49 (14.3%)	74 (21.6%)	27 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.3%)	73.2	244^th of 906 public elementary schools	73.1%		77.2	218^th of 916 public elementary schools	76.2%	26	66.7	59.5	59.1	76.7			65.5	53.9	45.2	68.2	42.9			52.7	37.2		37.2		$20,404
Leicester Elementary	Public	K-4	170 Paxton Street	Leicester	01524	Worcester County	Leicester	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 892-7050	467	34	13.8		290 (62.1%)	35 (7.5%)	102 (21.8%)	14 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	23 (4.9%)	20	734^th of 906 public elementary schools	19.0%		29.3	646^th of 916 public elementary schools	29.5%	88	27.7	28.4					28.1	29.7	13.7					21.9					$19,133
Wire Village School	Public	K-4	60 Paxton Road	Spencer	01562	Worcester County	Spencer-E Brookfield	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 885-8524	430	36	12.0		286 (66.5%)	14 (3.3%)	108 (25.1%)	10 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.6%)	14.8	790^th of 906 public elementary schools	12.8%		14.8	808^th of 916 public elementary schools	11.8%	18	25.3	21.8					23.7	21.1	18.0					19.7					$18,618
Dawson	Public	K-5	155 Salisbury Street	Holden	01520	Worcester County	Wachusett	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 829-6828	487	36	13.5		386 (79.3%)	13 (2.7%)	41 (8.4%)	20 (4.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (5.1%)	87.5	101^st of 906 public elementary schools	88.9%		79.6	188^th of 916 public elementary schools	79.5%	87	61.1	66.2	66.2				64.2	67.8	61.8	73.0				67.7	68.9		68.9		$16,257
Tatnuck	Public	PK, KG-6	1083 Pleasant Street	Worcester	01602	Worcester County	Worcester	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 799-3554	376	28	13.5		153 (40.7%)	71 (18.9%)	115 (30.6%)	15 (4.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.6%)	20	735^th of 906 public elementary schools	18.9%		27.6	661^st of 916 public elementary schools	27.8%	74	30.0	30.0	20.4	28.9			27.3	22.0	24.5	24.5	11.1			20.7	22.5		22.5		$20,525
Naquag Elementary School	Public	K-2	285 Main Street	Rutland	01543	Worcester County	Wachusett	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 886-2901	353	26	13.4		281 (79.6%)	19 (5.4%)	33 (9.3%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.0%)								(n/a)																			$16,374
Davis Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	78 Jamieson Road	Holden	01520	Worcester County	Wachusett	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 829-1754	431	38	11.3		366 (84.9%)	13 (3.0%)	30 (7.0%)	10 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.6%)	81.2	166^th of 906 public elementary schools	81.7%		66.3	311^th of 916 public elementary schools	66.0%	145	63.2	58.6	60.0				60.5	60.5	60.9	65.7				62.2	55.7		55.7		$16,122
Worcester Dual Language Magnet School	Public	PK, KG-6	525 Chandler Street	Worcester	01602	Worcester County	Worcester	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 799-3452	519	45	11.5		78 (15.0%)	23 (4.4%)	398 (76.7%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.9%)	9.7	854^th of 906 public elementary schools	5.7%		22.9	708^th of 916 public elementary schools	22.7%	146	21.1	17.2	6.5	15.0			15.2	16.9	14.1	3.2	21.7			14.0	11.3		11.3		$23,515
Flagg Street	Public	K-6	115 Flagg Street	Worcester	01602	Worcester County	Worcester	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 799-3522	412	23	18.2		285 (69.2%)	22 (5.3%)	55 (13.3%)	20 (4.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.8%)	78.9	194^th of 906 public elementary schools	78.6%		69.9	279^th of 916 public elementary schools	69.5%	85	63.2	45.1	55.2	61.9			56.6	63.2	54.9	60.3	69.1			61.6	58.6		58.6		$20,092

Frequently Asked Questions about Paxton Center

What schools do graduates of Paxton Center attend?

Students who attend Paxton Center usually go on to attend:

High : Wachusett Regional High

What is the racial makeup of Paxton Center?

Students at Paxton Center are 82% White, 9% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% African American.

How many students attend Paxton Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 448 students attended Paxton Center.

Is Paxton Center a good school?

Paxton Center ranks 301^st of 906 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Paxton Center in?

Wachusett

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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.