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Thomas R Plympton Elementary School

Q: Is Thomas R Plympton Elementary School a good school?

Thomas R Plympton Elementary School ranks 557 th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

557^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 899 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 38% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Thomas R Plympton Elementary School is a K–5 school serving 357 students in Waltham, Massachusetts, part of Waltham Public Schools, a district ranked 231st of 351 in Massachusetts. The school's own 2025–26 rank is 557th of 899 elementary schools statewide (38th percentile, 2 stars), placing it third among seven Waltham elementary schools. Its position has been fairly stable over the past decade, ranging between the 26th and 41st percentile, with a low point in 2023–24 (678th of 916, 26th percentile, 1 star) followed by two years of recovery.

Test scores show a clear split: math is a relative strength, while English language arts and science lag. In 2025–26, 43.29% of students were proficient in math — above both district (40.26%) and state (41.11%) averages — with 4th grade math at 56.36%, a genuine bright spot. ELA, however, was 29.09%, roughly nine points below the district and eleven below the state, and 5th grade ELA was just 22.45%. Science came in at 29.17%, below district and state. Compared with nearby Waltham schools, Douglas MacArthur Elementary School posts nearly identical math and science results but much stronger ELA (51.84%), while James Fitzgerald Elementary School outperforms Thomas R Plympton Elementary School in all three subjects.

Results also vary widely across student groups. Special education students ranked in the 54th percentile and male students in the 51st, while English learners ranked 40th and students from low-income backgrounds 25th; several of these groups have shown improvement in recent years. Per-student spending was $23,136 in 2020–21, mid-to-high among nearby schools, and the 2024–25 student–teacher ratio was 10.1, suggesting resources are not the obvious limit. For families comparing options, nearby Newton schools such as C C Burr (ELA 65.87%, math 75%, science 83.33%) and Cunniff in Watertown (ELA 42.45%, math 51.80%, science 60.42%) score higher in all three subjects.

357

Students ?

10.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,350

Per pupil spending ?

43.7%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students in Massachusetts receive free school meals.

100%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2025-26)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

20 Farnsworth Street
Waltham, MA 02451

(781) 314-5760

District: Waltham

Students who attend Thomas R Plympton Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	John F Kennedy Middle
High:	Waltham Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.9%

Hispanic:

38.1%

African American:

13.4%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare Thomas R Plympton Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 36th percentile in 2016 → 38th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Massachusetts average (35% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!Science scores 12 pts below the Massachusetts average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school35%

District avg38%

Massachusetts avg41%

557^th of 899

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Bottom 38%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 7Elementary 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	38.2	557 of 899	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.3	567 of 906	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.9	678 of 916	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.8	548 of 928	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.9	629 of 932	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.3	559 of 936	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.7	560 of 942	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.7	573 of 934	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.1	587 of 938	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	40.0	600 of 932	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	33.9	654 of 914	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	33.9	662 of 926	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	41.1	596 of 928	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	45.5	559 of 930	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	62.9	373 of 924	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	48.6	543 of 920	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	57.8	416 of 909	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	48.3	518 of 908	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	51.3	491 of 911	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	47.4	517 of 911	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	39.6	567 of 887	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	36.7	599 of 882	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2003	29.6	649 of 884	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	52.5	74 of 169	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.8	109 of 167	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	12.0	170 of 174	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	19.1	609 of 672	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	38.8	364 of 632	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	94.0	18 of 665	97.3%	★★★★★
2018	29.5	490 of 656	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	38.6	174 of 291	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.1	94 of 281	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	31.5	212 of 282	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.0	137 of 264	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.0	218 of 267	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.3	206 of 240	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.5	114 of 258	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.7	123 of 244	49.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	29.7	617 of 869	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.3	613 of 869	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.6	692 of 886	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.3	521 of 887	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.4	622 of 901	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.6	470 of 898	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.3	608 of 902	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.1	569 of 893	36.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	22.8	418 of 475	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.9	425 of 458	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.7	430 of 446	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	41.1	240 of 420	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.4	247 of 401	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.2	119 of 379	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.8	209 of 398	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.0	252 of 379	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	31.5	556 of 742	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.8	649 of 736	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.0	724 of 760	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	30.6	580 of 757	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.7	604 of 772	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	48.5	345 of 705	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.3	390 of 700	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.5	467 of 685	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	50.6	429 of 879	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.2	483 of 884	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.2	635 of 891	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.7	549 of 896	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.0	603 of 908	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.4	593 of 904	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.9	460 of 907	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.2	506 of 898	43.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	48.1	323 of 709	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	28.2	536 of 717	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.6	478 of 731	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.6	325 of 703	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	26.2	722 of 905	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.4	557 of 894	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.8	484 of 896	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.8	611 of 886	31.0%	★★☆☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	38.5	583 of 925	37.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	68.0	209 of 734	71.5%	★★★★☆
2025	62.0	274 of 737	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.7	400 of 753	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	63.1	269 of 762	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.5	496 of 764	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.8	345 of 765	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.4	234 of 780	70.0%	★★★★☆
2018	77.2	135 of 772	82.5%	★★★★☆

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)72nd percentile+33 vs school

African American (2025)56th percentile+19 vs school

Special Education (2026)54th percentile+16 vs school

Male (2026)51st percentile+13 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)40th percentile~ school

Tested In Person (2021)37th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)29th percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)25th percentile-13 vs school

Hispanic (2026)12th percentile-26 vs school

Disabled (2022)9th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics43%~ state avg

Science29%-12 vs state

English Language Arts29%-11 vs state

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Schools Near Thomas R Plympton Elementary 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 Vaccination 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)		Vaccination (2025-26)		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 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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Thomas R Plympton Elementary School	Public	K-5	20 Farnsworth Street	Waltham	02451	Middlesex County	Waltham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 314-5760	357	35	10.1	43.7%	139 (38.9%)	48 (13.4%)	136 (38.1%)	15 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.3%)	38.2	557^th of 899 public elementary schools	38.0%		38.3	567^th of 906 public elementary schools	37.4%	10	29.5	34.6	22.5	29.1	41.0	56.4	31.3	43.3	29.2	29.2	100%	0%	$28,350
Dual Language School	Public	K-5	617 Lexington St	Waltham	02452	Middlesex County	Waltham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 314-5402	222	17	13.1	48.6%	41 (18.5%)	5 (2.3%)	161 (72.5%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.4%)	32.6	609^th of 899 public elementary schools	32.3%		41.4	536^th of 906 public elementary schools	40.8%	73	29.7	31.4	36.4	32.4	27.0	28.6	33.3	29.5	39.4	39.4	100%	0%	$25,272
William F. Stanley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	250 South Street	Waltham	02453	Middlesex County	Waltham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 314-5620	381	45	8.4	52.2%	101 (26.5%)	47 (12.3%)	189 (49.6%)	30 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.7%)	35.4	574^th of 899 public elementary schools	36.2%		35.4	591^st of 906 public elementary schools	34.8%	17	39.2	26.7	29.3	31.8	43.1	46.7	19.0	35.1	32.8	32.8	98%	2%	$33,756
Henry Whittemore Elementary School	Public	K-5	30 Parmenter Road	Waltham	02453	Middlesex County	Waltham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 314-5785	372	41	9.0	71.8%	40 (10.8%)	18 (4.8%)	287 (77.2%)	14 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.5%)	25.6	670^th of 899 public elementary schools	25.5%		27.2	658^th of 906 public elementary schools	27.4%	12	14.6	21.2	32.7	22.4	25.5	42.3	30.6	32.7	24.5	24.5	100%	0%	$28,796
Douglas MacArthur Elementary School	Public	K-5	494 Lincoln Street	Waltham	02451	Middlesex County	Waltham	No	No	No	No	(781) 314-5721	475	41	11.4	29.1%	271 (57.1%)	35 (7.4%)	106 (22.3%)	36 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	23 (4.8%)	57.7	372^nd of 899 public elementary schools	58.6%		55.3	403^rd of 906 public elementary schools	55.5%	31	50.6	48.4	56.5	51.8	35.3	48.4	46.7	43.8	29.7	29.7	99%	1%	$25,334
James Fitzgerald Elementary School	Public	K-5	138 Beal Road	Waltham	02453	Middlesex County	Waltham	No	No	No	No	(781) 314-5685	350	35	9.9	31.4%	177 (50.6%)	11 (3.1%)	121 (34.6%)	20 (5.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.7%)	65.5	307^th of 899 public elementary schools	65.9%		53.7	417^th of 906 public elementary schools	54.0%	110	46.7	43.8	49.1	46.4	50.0	59.4	52.7	54.2	45.5	45.5	98%	2%	$27,907
Northeast Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	70 Putney Lane	Waltham	02452	Middlesex County	Waltham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 314-5740	527	49	10.7	53.9%	186 (35.3%)	62 (11.8%)	226 (42.9%)	32 (6.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.8%)	34.4	589^th of 899 public elementary schools	34.5%		31.1	623^rd of 906 public elementary schools	31.2%	34	26.0	32.8	31.8	30.0	39.7	43.1	31.8	38.1	27.7	27.7	98%	2%	$28,977
Franklin	Public	K-5	125 Derby Street	West Newton	02465	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-9500	320	32	9.8	13.8%	190 (59.4%)	12 (3.8%)	41 (12.8%)	48 (15.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.8%)	71	256^th of 899 public elementary schools	71.5%		74.9	230^th of 906 public elementary schools	74.6%	26	42.5	51.9	61.6	53.9	42.5	50.0	50.0	48.2	62.2	62.2	100%	0%	$26,393
C C Burr	Public	K-5	171 Pine Street	Auburndale	02466	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 559-9360	350	31	11.1	14.9%	169 (48.3%)	16 (4.6%)	49 (14.0%)	82 (23.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (8.3%)	93	41^st of 899 public elementary schools	95.4%		93.6	42^nd of 906 public elementary schools	95.4%	1	63.8	66.1	67.9	65.9	69.0	78.6	77.8	75.0	83.3	83.3			$25,197
Cunniff	Public	PK, KG-5	246 Warren Street	Watertown	02472	Middlesex County	Watertown	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 926-7726	320	40	8.0	28.1%	181 (56.6%)	8 (2.5%)	76 (23.8%)	21 (6.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (10.3%)	63.7	324^th of 899 public elementary schools	64.0%		65.2	327^th of 906 public elementary schools	63.9%	3	43.9	32.0	52.1	42.5	43.9	56.0	54.2	51.8	60.4	60.4	99%	1%	$28,050

Frequently Asked Questions about Thomas R Plympton Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Thomas R Plympton Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Thomas R Plympton Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : John F Kennedy Middle
High : Waltham Senior High

What district is Thomas R Plympton Elementary School in?

Waltham

How many students attend Thomas R Plympton Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 357 students attended Thomas R Plympton Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Thomas R Plympton Elementary School?

Students at Thomas R Plympton Elementary School are 39% White, 38% Hispanic, 13% African American, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

Is Thomas R Plympton Elementary School a good school?

Thomas R Plympton Elementary School ranks 557^th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Thomas R Plympton Elementary School!

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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.