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John F Kennedy Middle

Q: Is John F Kennedy Middle a good school?

John F Kennedy Middle ranks 133 rd of 478 Massachusetts middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

133^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 478 Massachusetts Middle Schools

Better than 72% of Massachusetts middle schools

Summary

John F. Kennedy Middle is a 635-student school serving grades 6–8 on Lexington Street in Waltham, MA, one of two middle schools in a city district that sits below the state average. In 2025–2026 the school ranked #133 of 478 Massachusetts middle schools (72nd percentile, 4 stars), while the Waltham district ranked #231 of 351 (34th percentile, 2 stars) — a gap of roughly 38 percentile points. JFK's proficiency rates beat both its district and the state in every MCAS subject: 48.7% in ELA, 48.62% in math, 45.41% in science, and 49.76% in grade-8 civics.

The most direct comparison is same-city John W. McDevitt Middle School, where JFK leads by 12–16 points in every subject and 23 percentile points overall — even though McDevitt has slightly smaller classes. JFK's closest true peer is Watertown Middle (#123, 74th percentile), just two percentile points away, with comparable spending and nearly identical ELA and math results. Against wealthier neighbors — Jonas Clarke Middle and Wm Diamond Middle in Lexington, Ottoson Middle in Arlington, Belmont Middle School, and F A Day Middle and Bigelow Middle in Newton — JFK trails by 20–35 points, despite having the highest per-student spending in the group ($23,907 in 2020–21).

Inside the school, grade 8 is the strongest band; 8th-grade math (58.17%) is the highest single figure at JFK, while 6th grade is the softest (43.81% in math, only about 1.2 points above the state), a 14.4-point internal spread. Math has risen steadily for three years (+5.1 points), grade-8 civics jumped nearly 11 points, and science rebounded 8 points after dipping below the state. Students learning English climbed 29 percentile points in two years, and low-income students rose 21 points. The student–teacher ratio is 10.3.

635

Students ?

10.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,366

Per pupil spending ?

37.2%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students in Massachusetts receive free school meals.

655 Lexington St
Waltham, MA 02452

(781) 314-5563

District: Waltham

Students who attend John F Kennedy Middle usually attend:

High:

Waltham Senior High

Feeder schools for John F Kennedy Middle:

Elementary:	Douglas MacArthur Elementary School
	Northeast Elementary School
	Thomas R Plympton Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

44.4%

Hispanic:

33.7%

African American:

11.0%

See top rated Massachusetts middle schools

Compare John F Kennedy Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 65th percentile in 2016 → 72nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (48% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Massachusetts median (72nd percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school48%

District avg39%

Massachusetts avg41%

133^rd of 478

Massachusetts public middle schools ?

Top 28%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From top 35% (2016) to top 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the Waltham

231^st of 351Waltham 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	68.4	133 of 478	72.2%	★★★★☆
2025	67.1	142 of 484	70.7%	★★★★☆
2024	62.9	168 of 493	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.6	167 of 501	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.0	151 of 497	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.3	149 of 501	70.3%	★★★★☆
2019	52.7	235 of 498	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.6	199 of 484	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	55.3	212 of 487	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	64.5	170 of 482	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	35.7	296 of 441	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	47.4	256 of 455	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.0	282 of 455	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	46.9	271 of 455	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	51.6	238 of 449	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	55.9	199 of 434	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	51.4	220 of 409	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	55.7	198 of 407	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	53.9	207 of 399	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	55.6	184 of 399	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	57.3	157 of 356	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	46.7	198 of 344	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2003	44.0	204 of 339	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	67.0	50 of 215	76.7%	★★★★☆
2025	71.1	42 of 206	79.6%	★★★★☆
2024	62.6	51 of 202	74.8%	★★★★☆
2023	57.4	75 of 209	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.6	83 of 212	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.4	83 of 193	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.2	40 of 195	79.5%	★★★★☆
2018	64.8	43 of 172	75.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	50.7	78 of 131	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	64.4	57 of 127	55.1%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	44.2	195 of 445	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.5	159 of 431	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	30.7	283 of 424	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.9	312 of 417	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	53.7	42 of 193	78.2%	★★★★☆
2025	44.1	71 of 181	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.5	91 of 180	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.2	155 of 155	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	40.7	86 of 154	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.5	68 of 138	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.9	92 of 127	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	67.2	139 of 468	70.3%	★★★★☆
2025	62.6	161 of 473	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.0	170 of 481	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.6	158 of 489	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.7	138 of 494	72.1%	★★★★☆
2021	68.2	138 of 483	71.4%	★★★★☆
2019	56.1	210 of 478	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.0	194 of 463	58.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	63.1	101 of 383	73.6%	★★★★☆
2025	51.2	151 of 376	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.2	143 of 378	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.9	144 of 364	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.6	108 of 368	70.7%	★★★★☆
2021	53.3	130 of 335	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.3	208 of 322	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.4	150 of 309	51.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	58.3	154 of 461	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.7	221 of 464	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.3	251 of 469	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.7	232 of 481	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.6	161 of 489	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.3	162 of 462	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.2	213 of 452	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.4	197 of 438	55.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	67.6	128 of 470	72.8%	★★★★☆
2025	69.0	126 of 473	73.4%	★★★★☆
2024	61.4	161 of 483	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.7	176 of 489	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.2	160 of 497	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.0	162 of 485	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.3	242 of 478	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.1	210 of 466	54.9%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	56.0	50 of 112	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.5	48 of 116	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.2	48 of 98	51.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	54.0	143 of 436	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.9	91 of 435	79.1%	★★★★☆
2024	59.5	123 of 441	72.1%	★★★★☆
2023	50.2	164 of 444	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.6	173 of 503	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.2	162 of 489	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.8	265 of 484	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.3	257 of 467	45.0%	★★☆☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	68.2	139 of 491	71.7%	★★★★☆

Tested Remotely

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	58.5	114 of 339	66.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	77.1	76 of 393	80.7%	★★★★☆
2025	79.1	73 of 386	81.1%	★★★★☆
2024	71.7	90 of 392	77.0%	★★★★☆
2023	72.2	85 of 403	78.9%	★★★★☆
2022	69.4	97 of 404	76.0%	★★★★☆
2021	71.0	93 of 401	76.8%	★★★★☆
2019	64.4	132 of 396	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.0	126 of 395	68.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

White (2026)81st percentile+8 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)78th percentile+6 vs school

African American (2026)77th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)74th percentile~ school

Male (2026)73rd percentile~ school

Tested In Person (2021)72nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)70th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)67th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)67th percentile-6 vs school

Tested Remotely (2021)66th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2022)56th percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)55th percentile-17 vs school

Asian (2026)40th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

Civics50%+10 vs state

English Language Arts49%+9 vs state

Mathematics49%+8 vs state

Science45%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near John F Kennedy Middle

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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 (2025)
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	Directly certified (2024-25)	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 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 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 F Kennedy Middle	Public	6-8	655 Lexington St	Waltham	02452	Middlesex County	Waltham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 314-5563	635	61	10.3	37.2%	282 (44.4%)	70 (11.0%)	214 (33.7%)	34 (5.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.4%)	68.4	133^rd of 478 public middle schools	72.2%		67.1	142^nd of 484 public middle schools	70.7%	9			45.9	47.2	52.9	48.7			43.8	43.7	58.2	48.6		45.4	45.4	49.8	$26,366
John W. McDevitt Middle School	Public	6-8	75 Church Street	Waltham	02453	Middlesex County	Waltham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 314-5595	618	65	9.5	57.1%	145 (23.5%)	42 (6.8%)	383 (62.0%)	23 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (3.7%)	42.2	244^th of 478 public middle schools	49.0%		47.3	223^rd of 484 public middle schools	53.9%	21			36.0	26.5	39.5	34.3			33.2	28.9	40.7	34.5		29.4	29.4	37.3	$28,564
Jonas Clarke Middle	Public	6-8	17 Stedman Rd	Lexington	02421	Middlesex County	Lexington	No	No	No	No	(781) 861-2450	796	85	9.4	9.9%	314 (39.4%)	42 (5.3%)	41 (5.2%)	338 (42.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (7.5%)	97.9	3^rd of 478 public middle schools	99.4%		98.1	1^st of 484 public middle schools	99.8%	2			78.3	80.5	79.0	79.3			84.3	87.4	81.1	84.2		76.6	76.6	79.8	$29,812
Watertown Middle	Public	6-8	68 Waverley Avenue	Watertown	02472	Middlesex County	Watertown	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 926-7783	583	54	10.8	37.2%	317 (54.4%)	24 (4.1%)	145 (24.9%)	47 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (7.9%)	71.1	123^rd of 478 public middle schools	74.3%		64.4	160^th of 484 public middle schools	66.9%	37			44.5	48.4	46.8	46.6			45.2	50.0	55.6	50.3		55.8	55.8	55.3	$26,166
F A Day Middle	Public	6-8	21 Minot Place	Newtonville	02460	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-9100	860	80	10.8	12.6%	493 (57.3%)	43 (5.0%)	80 (9.3%)	137 (15.9%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	100 (11.6%)	93.9	30^th of 478 public middle schools	93.7%		93.4	31^st of 484 public middle schools	93.6%	1			72.2	62.0	77.1	70.3			68.4	68.4	80.2	72.2		68.1	68.1	72.4	$26,170
Winthrop L Chenery Upper Elementary	Public	4-6	95 Washington Street	Belmont	02478	Middlesex County	Belmont	No	No	No	No	(617) 993-5800	1,023	74	13.8	12.5%	579 (56.6%)	37 (3.6%)	57 (5.6%)	256 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (8.6%)								(n/a)	63.3	60.2	75.1			66.5	73.8	63.3	77.5			71.8	72.9		72.9		$18,389
Ottoson Middle	Public	7-8	63 Acton Street	Arlington	02476	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3745	963	85	11.3	10.4%	651 (67.6%)	28 (2.9%)	82 (8.5%)	132 (13.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (6.4%)	97.3	5^th of 478 public middle schools	99.0%		97.2	4^th of 484 public middle schools	99.2%	1				75.6	79.5	77.4				71.8	81.2	76.2		77.6	77.6	82.7	$21,070
Belmont Middle School	Public	7-8	225 Concord Ave	Belmont	02478	Middlesex County	Belmont	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(617) 993-2000	742	48	15.5	9.0%	436 (58.8%)	26 (3.5%)	30 (4.0%)	179 (24.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	65 (8.8%)	96.6	11^th of 478 public middle schools	97.7%		97.1	6^th of 484 public middle schools	98.8%	5				71.0	75.8	73.4				71.0	78.3	74.7		79.1	79.1	80.9	$18,899
Bigelow Middle	Public	6-8	42 Vernon St	Newton	02458	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-6800	434	44	9.9	18.7%	220 (50.7%)	21 (4.8%)	76 (17.5%)	71 (16.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (10.4%)	91.7	43^rd of 478 public middle schools	91.0%		91.8	48^th of 484 public middle schools	90.1%	5			79.6	59.9	68.9	68.9			73.7	63.2	72.0	69.2		59.9	59.9	66.7	$28,044
Gibbs School	Public	6	41 Foster Street	Arlington	02474	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-9003	529	43	12.4	10.6%	354 (66.9%)	24 (4.5%)	37 (7.0%)	56 (10.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (10.4%)								(n/a)			71.2			71.2			68.6			68.6					$20,825

Frequently Asked Questions about John F Kennedy Middle

How many students attend John F Kennedy Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 635 students attended John F Kennedy Middle.

What is the racial makeup of John F Kennedy Middle?

Students at John F Kennedy Middle are 44% White, 34% Hispanic, 11% African American, 5% Asian, 5% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of John F Kennedy Middle attend?

Students who attend John F Kennedy Middle usually go on to attend Waltham Senior High

What district is John F Kennedy Middle in?

Waltham

Is John F Kennedy Middle a good school?

John F Kennedy Middle ranks 133^rd of 478 Massachusetts middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate John F Kennedy Middle!

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Latest Massachusetts data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataNewNov 1, 2026

2020–21 through 2023–24 school spending data (updated)NewNov 1, 2026

2023–24 through 2024–25 teacher salary dataNewNov 1, 2026

2020–21 through 2022–23 teacher salary data (updated)NewNov 1, 2026

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.