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Waltham Senior High

Q: Is Waltham Senior High a good school?

Waltham Senior High ranks 224 th of 353 Massachusetts high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

224^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 353 Massachusetts High Schools

Better than 37% of Massachusetts high schools

Summary

Waltham Senior High is a public high school in Waltham, MA, just west of Boston, serving grades 9–12 with 1,791 students. It is part of the Waltham district, which ranks 231st of 351 Massachusetts districts. The school ranks 224th of 353 in 2025–2026 but remains a 2-star school. In 2025–2026 10th-grade MCAS results, it was slightly above its district average but below the state in every subject: ELA 33.9%, Math 37.84%, Science 26.8%, and Physics 29.19%. Math is the relative strength; Science and Physics are weakest. ELA, Science, and Physics have generally declined since 2022–2023, though Math rebounded.

Graduation and dropout are also concerns. In 2024–2025, Waltham Senior High had a 79.3% graduation rate and a 15.5% dropout rate. Both were better than the Waltham district averages, but they trail most nearby high schools. Belmont High, Lexington High, Weston High, and Arlington High had roughly 97.5%–99.7% graduation and near-zero dropout. Newton North High had 94.8% graduation and 1.9% dropout; Minuteman Regional High had 95.5% and 4.0%; Watertown High had 89.7% and 7.9%. The drop from 84.4% graduation in 2023–2024 to 79.3% in 2024–2025, with dropout rising from 9.9% to 15.5%, is a reversal.

Subgroup effectiveness is uneven: the school ranks low for English Language Learner students (9th percentile) and low-income students (15th percentile), while special education students rank 37th percentile. Resources do not explain outcomes—Waltham Senior High spent $22,250 per student and had a 10.4 student-teacher ratio, more than Belmont High and Lexington High spent and a lower ratio than Belmont High and Arlington High, yet outcomes are much lower. Nearby, Belmont High, Lexington High, Weston High, Newton North High, and Arlington High outperform Waltham Senior High by 30–50+ proficiency points in many subjects, and Watertown High and Minuteman Regional High also outperform it. Within its own district, Waltham Senior High is stronger than Waltham Valor High School, which had a 30.0% graduation rate and 35.0% dropout rate in 2024–2025. Overall, it has improved its state rank over the past decade but still faces significant challenges in proficiency, graduation, dropout, and support for English Language Learners and low-income students.

1,791

Students ?

10.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,447

Per pupil spending ?

47.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

554 Lexington Street
Waltham, MA 02452-3099

(781) 614-2702

District: Waltham

Feeder schools for Waltham Senior High:

Elementary:	Douglas MacArthur Elementary School
	Henry Whittemore Elementary School
	James Fitzgerald Elementary School
	Northeast Elementary School
	More...
	Thomas R Plympton Elementary School
	William F. Stanley Elementary School
Middle:	John F Kennedy Middle
	John W. McDevitt Middle School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

52.4%

White:

32.0%

African American:

9.0%

See top rated Massachusetts high schools

Compare Waltham Senior High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 28th percentile in 2016 → 37th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Massachusetts average (32% vs 43% meeting standards)

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

!Physics scores 17 pts below the Massachusetts average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school32%

District avg31%

Massachusetts avg43%

224^th of 353

Massachusetts public high schools ?

Bottom 37%▲ up 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 28% (2016) to bottom 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	35.6	224 of 353	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.9	243 of 349	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.6	253 of 348	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.1	231 of 347	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.5	223 of 342	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.9	199 of 285	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.4	264 of 351	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.4	277 of 345	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	40.9	254 of 348	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	42.9	251 of 351	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	44.8	246 of 354	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	50.5	222 of 347	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	47.8	238 of 344	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	61.3	167 of 340	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	58.3	180 of 340	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	57.5	189 of 335	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	55.4	179 of 322	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	49.6	187 of 319	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	45.4	193 of 316	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	67.9	130 of 314	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	52.9	172 of 311	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2004	54.8	165 of 307	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2003	60.0	133 of 304	56.3%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	46.0	74 of 157	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	38.9	83 of 148	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	16.7	143 of 160	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.5	99 of 142	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.0	58 of 133	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.7	28 of 94	70.2%	★★★★☆
2019	32.9	95 of 137	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.1	74 of 134	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	22.9	75 of 94	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.9	70 of 98	28.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.5	62 of 96	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.6	77 of 93	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.5	53 of 68	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.6	82 of 97	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	63.2	52 of 91	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	30.3	196 of 295	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.5	135 of 202	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.7	196 of 299	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.7	154 of 299	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	27.9	96 of 105	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	36.2	56 of 83	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.8	68 of 86	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.3	71 of 84	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.3	71 of 77	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	33.0	41 of 46	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.8	60 of 82	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.0	76 of 77	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	33.1	227 of 340	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.2	242 of 337	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.1	257 of 342	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	45.4	196 of 339	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.3	246 of 340	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.4	194 of 281	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.1	250 of 342	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.2	272 of 339	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	26.6	189 of 260	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.5	197 of 245	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.6	196 of 249	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	179 of 241	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.2	147 of 217	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.5	113 of 149	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.2	152 of 206	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.5	171 of 193	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	45.2	17 of 30	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.7	6 of 23	73.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	21.0	289 of 340	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.4	256 of 334	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.3	301 of 338	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	264 of 338	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.7	211 of 332	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.6	209 of 253	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.2	269 of 330	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.7	294 of 330	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	33.6	219 of 344	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.6	241 of 339	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.7	244 of 342	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.4	260 of 343	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.5	191 of 339	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.4	194 of 281	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.7	259 of 346	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.5	275 of 343	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	18.7	83 of 100	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	58.3	43 of 87	50.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	32.5	189 of 298	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.3	216 of 302	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.3	187 of 289	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.6	175 of 301	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.5	208 of 339	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.2	218 of 268	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.8	291 of 348	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.3	310 of 344	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	60.6	107 of 302	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.4	147 of 298	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.7	128 of 302	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.1	143 of 301	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.1	118 of 300	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.5	91 of 249	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.1	153 of 302	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	66.8	101 of 303	66.7%	★★★☆☆

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)65th percentile+28 vs school

African American (2026)53rd percentile+16 vs school

Homeless (2026)43rd percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2026)37th percentile~ school

Male (2026)36th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)34th percentile~ school

Female (2026)33rd percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)27th percentile-9 vs school

Asian (2026)20th percentile-16 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)17th percentile-20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)15th percentile-22 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)9th percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics38%-6 vs state

English Language Arts34%-12 vs state

Physics29%-17 vs state

Science27%-14 vs state

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Schools Near Waltham Senior High

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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 Biology (2026)	MCAS Next Generation Physics (2026)	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 (2015)	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 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Biology End of Course	MCAS Next Generation Physics End of Course	Total
Waltham Senior High	Public	9-12	554 Lexington Street	Waltham	02452	Middlesex County	Waltham	No	No	No	No	(781) 614-2702	1,791	172	10.4	47.3%	574 (32.0%)	161 (9.0%)	938 (52.4%)	60 (3.4%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	52 (2.9%)	35.6	224^th of 353 public high schools	36.5%		30.9	243^rd of 349 public high schools	30.4%	19	33.9	37.8	26.8		29.2	$24,447
Waltham Valor High School	Public	9-12	617 Lexington Street	Waltham	02452	Middlesex County	Waltham	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(781) 314-5402	49	5	9.8		1 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (98.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Watertown High	Public	9-12	27 Westminster Ave.	Watertown	02472	Middlesex County	Watertown	No	No	No	No	(617) 926-7760	761	69	11.0	26.0%	426 (56.0%)	34 (4.5%)	183 (24.0%)	61 (8.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (6.8%)	59.5	135^th of 353 public high schools	61.8%		64.3	127^th of 349 public high schools	63.6%	8	52.5	47.1	37.8	6.7	49.1	$24,396
Lexington High	Public	9-12	251 Waltham Street	Lexington	02421	Middlesex County	Lexington	No	No	No	No	(781) 861-2320	2,405	211	11.4	7.8%	897 (37.3%)	106 (4.4%)	110 (4.6%)	1,122 (46.7%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	160 (6.7%)	98.3	1^st of 353 public high schools	99.7%		97.2	3^rd of 349 public high schools	99.1%	2	84.0	90.1	87.0	86.4		$15,474
Belmont High	Public	9-12	221 Concord Avenue	Belmont	02478	Middlesex County	Belmont	No	No	No	No	(617) 993-5901	1,454	92	15.7	7.9%	847 (58.3%)	59 (4.1%)	83 (5.7%)	337 (23.2%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	113 (7.8%)	97.8	4^th of 353 public high schools	98.9%		96.3	6^th of 349 public high schools	98.3%	2	84.1	87.0	88.7		86.4	$16,929
Minuteman Regional High	Public	9-12	758 Marrett Rd	Lexington	02421	Middlesex County	Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 861-6500	669	82	8.1	31.4%	477 (71.3%)	37 (5.5%)	74 (11.1%)	26 (3.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (5.8%)	68.9	106^th of 353 public high schools	70.0%		78	82^nd of 349 public high schools	76.5%	24	59.1	44.6	49.6	49.6		$37,171
Newton North High	Public	9-12	457 Walnut Street	Newtonville	02460	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-6200	2,096	194	10.7	16.9%	1,199 (57.2%)	104 (5.0%)	249 (11.9%)	366 (17.5%)	1 (0.0%)	6 (0.3%)	155 (7.4%)	94.6	22^nd of 353 public high schools	93.8%		93.1	26^th of 349 public high schools	92.6%	4	78.0	76.2	76.9		76.5	$25,126
Arlington High	Public	9-12	869 Mass Avenue	Arlington	02476	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3591	1,677	123	13.6	13.0%	1,156 (68.9%)	58 (3.5%)	150 (8.9%)	166 (9.9%)	2 (0.1%)	4 (0.2%)	110 (6.6%)	95.4	16^th of 353 public high schools	95.5%		95.5	10^th of 349 public high schools	97.1%	6	78.2	83.0	73.6		80.0	$19,762
Lyon High School	Public	12	95 Beechcroft Street	Brighton	02135	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8351	95	14	6.7	57.5%	10 (10.5%)	20 (21.1%)	49 (51.6%)	8 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (8.4%)								(n/a)						$57,890
Weston High	Public	9-12	444 Wellesley Street	Weston	02493	Middlesex County	Weston	No	No	No	No	(781) 786-5800	658	60	10.8	6.1%	364 (55.3%)	36 (5.5%)	45 (6.8%)	164 (24.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (7.4%)	94.3	25^th of 353 public high schools	92.9%		94.8	17^th of 349 public high schools	95.1%	8	73.1	84.9	72.1		77.1	$30,897

Frequently Asked Questions about Waltham Senior High

What district is Waltham Senior High in?

Waltham

What is the racial makeup of Waltham Senior High?

Students at Waltham Senior High are 52% Hispanic, 32% White, 9% African American, 3% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

Is Waltham Senior High a good school?

Waltham Senior High ranks 224^th of 353 Massachusetts high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Waltham Senior High?

Waltham Senior High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Douglas MacArthur Elementary School
Elementary : Henry Whittemore Elementary School
Elementary : James Fitzgerald Elementary School
Elementary : Northeast Elementary School
Elementary : Thomas R Plympton Elementary School
Elementary : William F. Stanley Elementary School
Middle : John F Kennedy Middle
Middle : John W. McDevitt Middle School

How many students attend Waltham Senior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,791 students attended Waltham Senior High.

Rate Waltham Senior High!

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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.