Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Waltham Senior High

Q: Is Waltham Senior High a good school?

Waltham Senior High ranks 243 rd of 349 Massachusetts high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

243^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 349 Massachusetts High Schools

Better than 30% of Massachusetts high schools

Summary

Waltham Senior High is a public high school serving 1,816 students in grades 9-12 in Waltham, Massachusetts, which is part of the Waltham School District. While the school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Massachusetts high schools over the past decade, with a 1-2 star rating from SchoolDigger, there are some notable disparities in student performance across different subgroups.

White students at Waltham Senior High perform the best, ranking in the top half of Massachusetts high schools for this group. However, Asian, African American, Hispanic, and English Language Learner students all rank in the bottom half or bottom third of schools for their respective groups. Students with disabilities and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds also perform poorly, ranking in the bottom third of schools. The school's four-year graduation rate has ranged from 79.7% to 84.4% over the past few years, which is below the state average, and its dropout rate has been significantly higher than the state average during the same period.

Waltham Senior High's proficiency rates on the MCAS Next Generation assessments for 10th grade students are consistently lower than the state and district averages in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science, with particularly weak performance in Mathematics and Science. Despite the school's proximity to higher-performing schools like Weston High and Lexington High, and its slightly higher-than-average per-student spending, Waltham Senior High has struggled to improve its overall academic performance and provide equitable educational opportunities for all its 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: Holding steady — 31st percentile in 2015 → 30th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Massachusetts average (31% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Physics scores 19 pts below the Massachusetts average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school31%

District avg30%

Massachusetts avg47%

243^rd of 349

Massachusetts public high schools ?

Bottom 30%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	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
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
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
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
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
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
2019	62.7	6 of 23	73.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
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
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
2024	58.3	43 of 87	50.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
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
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)

Homeless (2019)74th percentile+49 vs school

White (2025)51st percentile+20 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)51st percentile+23 vs school

African American (2025)44th percentile+14 vs school

Disabled (2022)34th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)33rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)29th percentile~ school

Asian (2024)29th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)28th percentile~ school

Female (2025)28th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)23rd percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)20th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts39%-11 vs state

Mathematics31%-13 vs state

Science28%-18 vs state

Physics25%-19 vs state

5.0

1 rating

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Waltham Senior High

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Waltham Senior High

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 Biology (2025)	MCAS Next Generation Physics (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 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Biology All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Physics All Grades	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		574 (32.0%)	161 (9.0%)	938 (52.4%)	60 (3.4%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	52 (2.9%)	30.9	243^rd of 349 public high schools	30.4%		30.6	253^rd of 348 public high schools	27.3%	10	39.2	31.3	27.7		25.1	$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		426 (56.0%)	34 (4.5%)	183 (24.0%)	61 (8.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (6.8%)	64.3	127^th of 349 public high schools	63.6%		51.5	188^th of 348 public high schools	46.0%	61	52.4	58.5	47.4	0.0	41.3	$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		897 (37.3%)	106 (4.4%)	110 (4.6%)	1,122 (46.7%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	160 (6.7%)	97.2	3^rd of 349 public high schools	99.1%		96.7	4^th of 348 public high schools	98.9%	1	85.4	88.4	90.0	88.1		$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		847 (58.3%)	59 (4.1%)	83 (5.7%)	337 (23.2%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	113 (7.8%)	96.3	6^th of 349 public high schools	98.3%		96.1	6^th of 348 public high schools	98.3%		83.9	83.1	86.9		85.9	$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		477 (71.3%)	37 (5.5%)	74 (11.1%)	26 (3.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (5.8%)	78	82^nd of 349 public high schools	76.5%		82.6	68^th of 348 public high schools	80.5%	14	73.4	56.1	56.6	56.7		$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		1,199 (57.2%)	104 (5.0%)	249 (11.9%)	366 (17.5%)	1 (0.0%)	6 (0.3%)	155 (7.4%)	93.1	26^th of 349 public high schools	92.6%		90.2	36^th of 348 public high schools	89.7%	10	76.5	76.8	80.7		75.5	$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		1,156 (68.9%)	58 (3.5%)	150 (8.9%)	166 (9.9%)	2 (0.1%)	4 (0.2%)	110 (6.6%)	95.5	10^th of 349 public high schools	97.1%		91.9	23^rd of 348 public high schools	93.4%	13	81.7	82.0	83.9		73.3	$19,762
Lyon High School	Public	9-12	95 Beechcroft Street	Brighton	02135	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8351	95	14	6.7		10 (10.5%)	20 (21.1%)	49 (51.6%)	8 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (8.4%)	5	340^th of 349 public high schools	2.6%		7.5	326^th of 348 public high schools	6.3%	14	4.8	4.8	11.1			$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		364 (55.3%)	36 (5.5%)	45 (6.8%)	164 (24.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (7.4%)	94.8	17^th of 349 public high schools	95.1%		94.2	14^th of 348 public high schools	96.0%	3	82.1	83.1	77.9		75.3	$30,897

Frequently Asked Questions about Waltham Senior High

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.

What district is Waltham Senior High in?

Waltham

Is Waltham Senior High a good school?

Waltham Senior High ranks 243^rd of 349 Massachusetts high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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.

Rate Waltham Senior High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MAMassachusetts High School Rankings

MAMassachusetts District Rankings

Schools in Waltham, MA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Waltham Senior High!

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.