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John W. McDevitt Middle School

Q: Is John W. McDevitt Middle School a good school?

John W. McDevitt Middle School ranks 223 rd of 484 Massachusetts middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

223^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 484 Massachusetts Middle Schools

Better than 54% of Massachusetts middle schools

Summary

John W. McDevitt Middle School is a public middle school in Waltham, Massachusetts, serving 604 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Waltham school district, which is ranked 240 out of 348 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, John W. McDevitt Middle School has consistently ranked in the middle to lower range of Massachusetts middle schools, with proficiency rates below the state averages in English Language Arts, Math, and Science. The school's performance is particularly low in 7th grade ELA and 6th grade Math, where proficiency rates are around 34-37%, compared to the state averages of 41-42%. However, the school's performance varies across different student subgroups, with John F. Kennedy Middle School, another Waltham school, consistently outperforming John W. McDevitt Middle School on academic measures.

Despite the school's relatively high per-student spending of around $23,000 and low student-teacher ratio of 8-9 students per teacher, the academic outcomes do not seem to be commensurate with the resources invested. Nearby high-performing schools, such as Gibbs School in Arlington and Bigelow Middle in Newton, significantly outperform John W. McDevitt Middle School, suggesting opportunities for improvement in the school's instructional practices and resource allocation.

618

Students ?

9.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,768

Per pupil spending ?

51.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

75 Church Street
Waltham, MA 02453

(781) 314-5595

District: Waltham

Students who attend John W. McDevitt Middle School usually attend:

High:

Waltham Senior High

Feeder schools for John W. McDevitt Middle School:

Elementary:	Henry Whittemore Elementary School
	James Fitzgerald Elementary School
	William F. Stanley Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

62.0%

White:

23.5%

African American:

6.8%

See top rated Massachusetts middle schools

Compare John W. McDevitt Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 34th percentile in 2015 → 54th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Massachusetts median (54th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Science scores 13 pts below the Massachusetts average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg38%

Massachusetts avg41%

223^rd of 484

Massachusetts public middle schools ?

Top 46%▲ up 20 pts since 2015

From bottom 34% (2015) to top 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Waltham

240^th of 348Waltham 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
2025	47.3	223 of 484	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.4	236 of 493	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.5	282 of 501	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.7	260 of 497	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.9	267 of 501	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.3	192 of 498	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.8	188 of 484	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	60.4	188 of 487	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	55.6	217 of 482	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	37.8	290 of 441	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	42.7	276 of 455	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	47.6	259 of 455	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	46.8	272 of 455	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	44.6	275 of 449	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	50.2	242 of 434	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	53.2	216 of 409	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	47.1	234 of 407	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	49.6	231 of 399	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	50.3	219 of 399	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	34.6	254 of 356	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	38.0	232 of 344	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2003	31.1	254 of 339	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	83.8	20 of 206	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	56.4	64 of 202	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.7	67 of 209	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.5	71 of 212	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.1	101 of 193	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	70.9	38 of 195	80.5%	★★★★☆
2018	77.1	23 of 172	86.6%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2019	57.7	66 of 128	48.4%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	50.5	161 of 445	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.7	149 of 431	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.0	154 of 424	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.7	183 of 417	56.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	41.6	87 of 181	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.2	50 of 180	72.2%	★★★★☆
2023	61.5	19 of 155	87.7%	★★★★☆
2022	44.9	56 of 154	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.5	37 of 135	72.6%	★★★★☆
2019	46.5	48 of 138	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.0	68 of 127	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	38.3	269 of 473	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.1	277 of 481	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.0	293 of 489	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.7	266 of 494	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.6	242 of 483	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.3	188 of 478	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.4	196 of 463	57.7%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	44.2	181 of 376	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.9	174 of 378	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.7	171 of 364	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.7	158 of 368	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.9	141 of 335	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.0	110 of 322	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.1	89 of 309	71.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	44.8	236 of 464	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.4	235 of 469	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.8	244 of 481	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	274 of 489	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.6	235 of 462	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.4	176 of 452	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.2	165 of 438	62.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	55.3	188 of 473	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.7	188 of 483	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.1	274 of 489	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.4	244 of 497	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.8	282 of 485	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.5	203 of 478	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.0	184 of 466	60.5%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	38.7	64 of 116	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	47.1	168 of 435	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.8	227 of 441	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.6	218 of 444	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.2	243 of 503	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.6	257 of 489	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.4	146 of 484	69.8%	★★★★☆
2018	58.5	156 of 467	66.6%	★★★☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	41.5	282 of 491	42.6%	★★☆☆☆

Tested Remotely

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	59.4	110 of 339	67.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	78.2	78 of 386	79.8%	★★★★☆
2024	89.6	29 of 392	92.6%	★★★★★
2023	77.4	72 of 403	82.1%	★★★★☆
2022	77.5	71 of 404	82.4%	★★★★☆
2021	63.3	120 of 401	70.1%	★★★★☆
2019	77.2	79 of 396	80.1%	★★★★☆
2018	73.1	83 of 395	79.0%	★★★★☆

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)

African American (2025)90th percentile+36 vs school

White (2025)80th percentile+26 vs school

Tested Remotely (2021)68th percentile+21 vs school

Disabled (2022)64th percentile+16 vs school

Special Education (2025)61st percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)60th percentile+6 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)52nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)52nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)49th percentile-5 vs school

Asian (2019)48th percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)45th percentile-9 vs school

Female (2025)43rd percentile-11 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)43rd percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts41%~ state avg

Civics36%-3 vs state

Mathematics34%-6 vs state

Science28%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near John W. McDevitt Middle School

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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 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 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		145 (23.5%)	42 (6.8%)	383 (62.0%)	23 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (3.7%)	47.3	223^rd of 484 public middle schools	53.9%		47.4	236^th of 493 public middle schools	52.1%	13			46.0	34.5	42.3	40.7			31.0	36.9	35.2	34.5		28.5	28.5	35.9	$26,768
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		282 (44.4%)	70 (11.0%)	214 (33.7%)	34 (5.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.4%)	67.1	142^nd of 484 public middle schools	70.7%		62.9	168^th of 493 public middle schools	65.9%	26			48.7	60.4	54.2	54.5			46.0	44.2	49.3	46.5		37.4	37.4	38.8	$24,123
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		493 (57.3%)	43 (5.0%)	80 (9.3%)	137 (15.9%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	100 (11.6%)	93.4	31^st of 484 public middle schools	93.6%		91.6	43^rd of 493 public middle schools	91.3%	12			62.1	71.2	75.8	69.8			62.7	75.4	75.1	71.1		69.8	69.8	73.1	$24,602
Watertown Middle	Public	6-8	68 Waverley Avenue	Watertown	02472	Middlesex County	Watertown	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 926-7783	583	54	10.8		317 (54.4%)	24 (4.1%)	145 (24.9%)	47 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (7.9%)	64.4	160^th of 484 public middle schools	66.9%		62.9	167^th of 493 public middle schools	66.1%	7			40.8	39.7	59.2	46.5			43.4	47.5	44.8	45.2		47.5	47.5	45.1	$25,768
Bigelow Middle	Public	6-8	42 Vernon St	Newton	02458	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-6800	434	44	9.9		220 (50.7%)	21 (4.8%)	76 (17.5%)	71 (16.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (10.4%)	91.8	48^th of 484 public middle schools	90.1%		88.4	60^th of 493 public middle schools	87.8%	12			71.6	59.4	83.2	71.1			64.8	58.4	73.6	65.3		64.0	64.0	75.2	$26,379
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		579 (56.6%)	37 (3.6%)	57 (5.6%)	256 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (8.6%)								(n/a)	67.6	58.8	70.8			65.5	64.1	66.8	69.6			66.9	75.6		75.6		$17,771
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		314 (39.4%)	42 (5.3%)	41 (5.2%)	338 (42.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (7.5%)	98.1	1^st of 484 public middle schools	99.8%		98	2^nd of 493 public middle schools	99.6%	1			84.1	79.9	84.5	82.8			87.0	82.2	76.5	81.8		81.1	81.1	78.4	$19,067
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		436 (58.8%)	26 (3.5%)	30 (4.0%)	179 (24.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	65 (8.8%)	97.1	6^th of 484 public middle schools	98.8%		97.9	4^th of 493 public middle schools	99.2%	2				71.6	79.2	75.4				74.0	80.6	77.2		84.2	84.2	83.1	$19,126
Ottoson Middle	Public	7-8	63 Acton Street	Arlington	02476	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3745	963	85	11.3		651 (67.6%)	28 (2.9%)	82 (8.5%)	132 (13.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (6.4%)	97.2	4^th of 484 public middle schools	99.2%		96.4	12^th of 493 public middle schools	97.6%	8				77.6	81.6	79.7				75.7	75.7	75.7		75.3	75.3	79.1	$20,016
Weston Middle	Public	6-8	456 Wellesley Street	Weston	02493	Middlesex County	Weston	No	No	No	No	(781) 786-5600	451	41	11.0		242 (53.7%)	27 (6.0%)	35 (7.8%)	122 (27.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (5.1%)	96	14^th of 484 public middle schools	97.1%		95.1	20^th of 493 public middle schools	95.9%	6			78.6	68.4	79.0	75.6			74.5	74.6	77.6	75.6		74.2	74.2	71.5	$32,580

Frequently Asked Questions about John W. McDevitt Middle School

Is John W. McDevitt Middle School a good school?

John W. McDevitt Middle School ranks 223^rd of 484 Massachusetts middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is John W. McDevitt Middle School in?

Waltham

What high school do graduates of John W. McDevitt Middle School attend?

Students who attend John W. McDevitt Middle School usually go on to attend Waltham Senior High

What is the racial makeup of John W. McDevitt Middle School?

Students at John W. McDevitt Middle School are 62% Hispanic, 23% White, 7% African American, 4% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend John W. McDevitt Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 618 students attended John W. McDevitt Middle School.

Rate John W. McDevitt Middle School!

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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.