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William F. Stanley Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5
574th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 899 Massachusetts Elementary Schools
Better than 36% of Massachusetts elementary schools
Summary

William F. Stanley Elementary School is a PK–5 school in Waltham, MA, serving 381 students just west of Boston and bordering Newton and Weston. In 2025–2026, it ranked 574th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools (36th percentile, 2 stars), while the Waltham district ranked 231st of 351 (34th percentile, 2 stars). The school has improved over the long term—from 1-star, bottom-quartile results in the mid-2010s to 2-star, mid-30s-to-low-40s percentile results recently—but it peaked at 42nd percentile in 2022–2023 and has slipped to 36th. It has not yet reached 3-star status.

All-grade MCAS proficiency in 2025–2026 was below the Waltham district and state averages: ELA 31.82, math 35.06, and science 32.76. Within nearby Waltham schools, the school is roughly in the middle—second in each subject among Dual Language School, Thomas R Plympton Elementary School, and Henry Whittemore Elementary School. The gap to neighboring Newton and Weston schools is much larger: the lowest nearby other-district ELA score, Franklin’s 53.89, is still 22.07 points above the school; the lowest math score, Franklin’s 48.21, is 13.15 points above; and the lowest science score, Williams’s 58.82, is 26.06 points above. Grade-level results are uneven. Third- and fourth-grade math are above district and state, but fifth-grade math is a severe weakness at 18.97, far below the district (35.07) and state (39.50). Science also fell to 32.76 after being 47.27 in 2024–2025.

The school has notable resources: its student–teacher ratio of 8.4 is the lowest among nearby schools, and per-student spending was $27,565 in 2020–2021, higher than nearby Waltham and Newton schools and close to Weston. Those advantages have not yet translated into proficiency above district or state. Student-group results also vary: low-income students are at the 26th percentile (1 star), while English language learners improved to 37th and special education students to 35th, though both remain below the school’s overall percentile. Free/reduced lunch data are unavailable, and spending data are older, so these should be interpreted with caution. Overall, the school has improved from its past but still faces clear challenges in fifth-grade math, science, and some student groups.

381
Students ?
8.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$32,435
Per pupil spending ?
52.2%
Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?
All students in Massachusetts receive free school meals.
 250 South Street
       Waltham, MA  02453

(781) 314-5620

District: Waltham


Students who attend William F. Stanley Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    John W. McDevitt Middle School
High:    Waltham Senior High
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
49.6%
White:
26.5%
African American:
12.3%
more
 See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

 Compare William F. Stanley Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 42nd percentile in 2023 → 36th in 2026
Strengths
✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Massachusetts average (33% vs 41% meeting standards)
!Ranking has slipped from its 42nd-percentile peak (2023) to 36th (2026)
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school33%
District avg38%
Massachusetts avg41%
574th of 899
Massachusetts public elementary schools ?
Bottom 36%▲ up 12 pts since 2016
From bottom 24% (2016) to bottom 36% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
4th of 7Elementary Schools in the Waltham
231st 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202635.4574 of 89936.2%★★☆☆☆
202535.4591 of 90634.8%★★☆☆☆
202441.2552 of 91639.7%★★☆☆☆
202343.1536 of 92842.2%★★☆☆☆
202238.8573 of 93238.5%★★☆☆☆
202136.5611 of 93634.7%★★☆☆☆
201941.8583 of 94238.1%★★☆☆☆
201834.0652 of 93430.2%★★☆☆☆
201722.9763 of 93818.7%★☆☆☆☆
201629.7705 of 93224.4%★☆☆☆☆
201530.8681 of 91425.5%★☆☆☆☆
201446.2554 of 92640.2%★★☆☆☆
201346.4541 of 92841.7%★★☆☆☆
201239.6609 of 93034.5%★★☆☆☆
201144.8567 of 92438.6%★★☆☆☆
201026.4718 of 92022.0%★☆☆☆☆
200929.4694 of 90923.7%★☆☆☆☆
200846.2543 of 90840.2%★★☆☆☆
200746.6538 of 91140.9%★★☆☆☆
200652.9457 of 91149.8%★★☆☆☆
200550.9460 of 88748.1%★★☆☆☆
200458.6401 of 88254.5%★★★☆☆
200342.2558 of 88436.9%★★☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202234.8417 of 67237.9%★★☆☆☆
202151.6244 of 63261.4%★★★☆☆
201958.8212 of 66568.1%★★★☆☆
201848.4279 of 65657.5%★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202636.7184 of 29136.8%★★☆☆☆
202526.9246 of 28112.5%★☆☆☆☆
202430.7219 of 28222.3%★☆☆☆☆
202340.3148 of 26443.9%★★☆☆☆
202231.4208 of 26722.1%★☆☆☆☆
202129.7210 of 24012.5%★☆☆☆☆
201937.8150 of 25841.9%★★☆☆☆
201841.6126 of 24448.4%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202638.6523 of 86939.8%★★☆☆☆
202540.9512 of 86941.1%★★☆☆☆
202431.3619 of 88630.1%★★☆☆☆
202345.4497 of 88744.0%★★☆☆☆
202242.2532 of 90141.0%★★☆☆☆
202136.7592 of 89834.1%★★☆☆☆
201937.0612 of 90232.2%★★☆☆☆
201834.9623 of 89330.2%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202625.0398 of 47516.2%★☆☆☆☆
202525.7379 of 45817.2%★☆☆☆☆
202443.8227 of 44649.1%★★☆☆☆
202333.2298 of 42029.0%★☆☆☆☆
202238.5231 of 40142.4%★★☆☆☆
202146.4166 of 37956.2%★★★☆☆
201959.6126 of 39868.3%★★★☆☆
201844.0214 of 37943.5%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202632.1549 of 74226.0%★☆☆☆☆
202543.2417 of 73643.3%★★☆☆☆
202432.8555 of 76027.0%★☆☆☆☆
202321.8649 of 75714.3%★☆☆☆☆
202232.3558 of 77227.7%★☆☆☆☆
202132.9493 of 70530.1%★★☆☆☆
201944.5402 of 70042.6%★★☆☆☆
201835.0501 of 68526.9%★☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202635.0580 of 87934.0%★★☆☆☆
202530.7616 of 88430.3%★★☆☆☆
202450.2454 of 89149.0%★★☆☆☆
202341.1543 of 89639.4%★★☆☆☆
202237.3572 of 90837.0%★★☆☆☆
202138.7556 of 90438.5%★★☆☆☆
201946.8508 of 90744.0%★★☆☆☆
201833.9631 of 89829.7%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202635.4462 of 70934.8%★★☆☆☆
202530.1513 of 71728.5%★☆☆☆☆
202446.1340 of 73153.5%★★★☆☆
202346.2334 of 70352.5%★★★☆☆
202229.8677 of 90525.2%★☆☆☆☆
202133.5622 of 89430.4%★★☆☆☆
201948.5456 of 89649.1%★★☆☆☆
201835.9627 of 88629.2%★☆☆☆☆

Tested In Person

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202135.5616 of 92533.4%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMassachusetts percentileRating
202660.7279 of 73462.0%★★★☆☆
202560.2292 of 73760.4%★★★☆☆
202465.0252 of 75366.5%★★★☆☆
202377.5141 of 76281.5%★★★★☆
202273.0166 of 76478.3%★★★★☆
202167.0231 of 76569.8%★★★★☆
201958.3328 of 78057.9%★★★☆☆
201849.8421 of 77245.5%★★☆☆☆
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)62nd percentile+26 vs school
Female (2026)40th percentile+4 vs school
Disabled (2022)38th percentile~ school
English Language Learner (2026)37th percentile~ school
Special Education (2026)35th percentile~ school
Male (2026)34th percentile~ school
Tested In Person (2021)33rd percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)26th percentile-10 vs school
Hispanic (2026)16th percentile-20 vs school
By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?
Mathematics35%-6 vs state
Science33%-8 vs state
English Language Arts32%-8 vs state

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What people are saying
by a parent
Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Open Quote The school has wonderful teachers, diverse student body and is housed in a newer well equiped building. Test scores don’t reflect the whole story. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about William F. Stanley Elementary School

Students who attend William F. Stanley Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : John W. McDevitt Middle School
High : Waltham Senior High

In the 2024-25 school year, 381 students attended William F. Stanley Elementary School.

William F. Stanley Elementary School ranks 574th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students at William F. Stanley Elementary School are 50% Hispanic, 27% White, 12% African American, 8% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

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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.

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