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Watertown Middle

Q: Is Watertown Middle a good school?

Watertown Middle ranks 123 rd of 478 Massachusetts middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

123^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 478 Massachusetts Middle Schools

Better than 74% of Massachusetts middle schools

Summary

Watertown Middle is a public school in Watertown, MA, serving 583 students in grades 6–8, part of the Watertown district just west of Boston. In 2025–2026, it ranked 123rd of 478 Massachusetts middle schools, placing in the 74th percentile with 4 stars—its best recent year. That continues a rebound from 2018–2019, when it was 252nd of 498, in the 49th percentile with 2 stars.

Test scores are above the state average in every reported subject: ELA 46.56%, math 50.27%, science 55.79%, and 8th-grade civics 55.26%. Math, science, and civics have shown strong recent momentum, while ELA has been more stable. Compared with nearby schools, Watertown Middle outperforms Waltham’s John W. McDevitt Middle School and generally edges John F Kennedy Middle in math and science, though JFK had slightly higher ELA. It trails higher-performing neighbors such as Ottoson Middle, Belmont Middle School, F A Day Middle, Bigelow Middle, Rindge Avenue Upper School, and Putnam Avenue Upper School in ELA and math, but is competitive with Cambridge schools in science.

The school’s 10.8 student-teacher ratio is similar to F A Day Middle and lower than Belmont Middle School, while per-student spending was $23,383 in 2020–2021—mid-high nearby, similar to Newton and Waltham, and above Arlington. Spending and class size alone do not explain the gaps with top nearby districts. On subgroup effectiveness, low-income students improved from the 40th percentile to the 77th, special-education effectiveness declined from the 66th to the 50th, and English-language-learner results were volatile. The main things to watch are the ELA gap, special-education effectiveness, and data limits: free/reduced-lunch figures were not reported, and spending data is from 2020–2021. Overall, Watertown Middle is improving and above the state average, but not yet at the level of the highest-performing nearby districts.

583

Students ?

10.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,768

Per pupil spending ?

37.2%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students in Massachusetts receive free school meals.

68 Waverley Avenue
Watertown, MA 02472

(617) 926-7783

District: Watertown

Students who attend Watertown Middle usually attend:

High:

Watertown High

Feeder schools for Watertown Middle:

Elementary:	Cunniff
	Hosmer
	James Russell Lowell

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.4%

Hispanic:

24.9%

Asian:

8.1%

See top rated Massachusetts middle schools

Compare Watertown Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 68th percentile in 2016 → 74th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (50% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Massachusetts median (74th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg50%

Massachusetts avg41%

123^rd of 478

Massachusetts public middle schools ?

Top 26%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From top 32% (2016) to top 26% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

110^th of 351Watertown 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	71.1	123 of 478	74.3%	★★★★☆
2025	64.4	160 of 484	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.9	167 of 493	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.0	184 of 501	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.7	153 of 497	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.8	199 of 501	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.7	252 of 498	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.0	216 of 484	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	60.7	187 of 487	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	66.7	152 of 482	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.6	184 of 441	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	55.2	212 of 455	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	50.7	238 of 455	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	57.9	209 of 455	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	57.1	203 of 449	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	53.4	220 of 434	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	58.9	179 of 409	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	61.0	167 of 407	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.1	174 of 399	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	55.9	180 of 399	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	45.4	209 of 356	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2004	54.3	171 of 344	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2003	52.0	174 of 339	48.7%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	20.2	106 of 131	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	10.1	118 of 127	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.7	100 of 120	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	111 of 134	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.2	90 of 135	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.6	92 of 123	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.7	89 of 128	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	16.7	102 of 119	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	30.9	290 of 445	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.3	196 of 431	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.4	185 of 424	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.5	198 of 417	52.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	68.1	16 of 193	91.7%	★★★★★
2025	31.7	161 of 181	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	46.2	52 of 180	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	40.2	85 of 155	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	57.1	23 of 154	85.1%	★★★★☆
2021	42.0	63 of 135	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.4	52 of 138	62.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	76.3	102 of 468	78.2%	★★★★☆
2025	66.4	146 of 473	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.7	179 of 481	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.8	181 of 489	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.8	145 of 494	70.6%	★★★★☆
2021	58.3	182 of 483	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.1	211 of 478	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.1	218 of 463	52.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	59.1	116 of 383	69.7%	★★★★☆
2025	52.7	144 of 376	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.7	167 of 378	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.1	189 of 364	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.6	118 of 368	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.1	168 of 335	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.1	145 of 322	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.6	169 of 309	45.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	66.4	106 of 461	77.0%	★★★★☆
2025	47.8	214 of 464	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.6	280 of 469	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.1	280 of 481	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	62.3	140 of 489	71.4%	★★★★☆
2021	58.8	153 of 462	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.1	279 of 452	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.8	255 of 438	41.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	63.7	143 of 470	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.2	166 of 473	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.0	157 of 483	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.0	185 of 489	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.1	161 of 497	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.9	213 of 485	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.3	282 of 478	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.0	219 of 466	53.0%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	54.0	51 of 112	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.8	52 of 116	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.1	46 of 98	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.7	48 of 110	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.0	40 of 102	60.8%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	40.3	219 of 436	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.9	191 of 435	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.1	152 of 441	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.3	185 of 444	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.6	155 of 503	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.1	148 of 489	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.8	293 of 484	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.4	279 of 467	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	57.2	192 of 491	60.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	75.4	81 of 393	79.4%	★★★★☆
2025	69.4	102 of 386	73.6%	★★★★☆
2024	63.7	120 of 392	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.8	144 of 403	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.6	119 of 404	70.5%	★★★★☆
2021	51.9	178 of 401	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.4	251 of 396	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.4	189 of 395	52.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)92nd percentile+17 vs school

White (2026)79th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)78th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)77th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)70th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2026)70th percentile-5 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)61st percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)54th percentile-20 vs school

Special Education (2026)50th percentile-24 vs school

Disabled (2022)35th percentile-34 vs school

Asian (2026)19th percentile-55 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

Science56%+15 vs state

Civics55%+15 vs state

Mathematics50%+9 vs state

English Language Arts47%+7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Watertown Middle

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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 Civics (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	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 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
Watertown Middle	Public	6-8	68 Waverley Avenue	Watertown	02472	Middlesex County	Watertown	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 926-7783	583	54	10.8	37.2%	317 (54.4%)	24 (4.1%)	145 (24.9%)	47 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (7.9%)	71.1	123^rd of 478 public middle schools	74.3%		64.4	160^th of 484 public middle schools	66.9%	37			44.5	48.4	46.8	46.6			45.2	50.0	55.6	50.3		55.8	55.8	55.3	$25,768
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	12.5%	579 (56.6%)	37 (3.6%)	57 (5.6%)	256 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (8.6%)								(n/a)	63.3	60.2	75.1			66.5	73.8	63.3	77.5			71.8	72.9		72.9		$17,771
Bigelow Middle	Public	6-8	42 Vernon St	Newton	02458	Middlesex County	Newton	No	No	No	No	(617) 559-6800	434	44	9.9	18.7%	220 (50.7%)	21 (4.8%)	76 (17.5%)	71 (16.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (10.4%)	91.7	43^rd of 478 public middle schools	91.0%		91.8	48^th of 484 public middle schools	90.1%	5			79.6	59.9	68.9	68.9			73.7	63.2	72.0	69.2		59.9	59.9	66.7	$26,379
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	12.6%	493 (57.3%)	43 (5.0%)	80 (9.3%)	137 (15.9%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	100 (11.6%)	93.9	30^th of 478 public middle schools	93.7%		93.4	31^st of 484 public middle schools	93.6%	1			72.2	62.0	77.1	70.3			68.4	68.4	80.2	72.2		68.1	68.1	72.4	$24,602
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	9.0%	436 (58.8%)	26 (3.5%)	30 (4.0%)	179 (24.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	65 (8.8%)	96.6	11^th of 478 public middle schools	97.7%		97.1	6^th of 484 public middle schools	98.8%	5				71.0	75.8	73.4				71.0	78.3	74.7		79.1	79.1	80.9	$19,126
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	57.1%	145 (23.5%)	42 (6.8%)	383 (62.0%)	23 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (3.7%)	42.2	244^th of 478 public middle schools	49.0%		47.3	223^rd of 484 public middle schools	53.9%	21			36.0	26.5	39.5	34.3			33.2	28.9	40.7	34.5		29.4	29.4	37.3	$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	37.2%	282 (44.4%)	70 (11.0%)	214 (33.7%)	34 (5.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.4%)	68.4	133^rd of 478 public middle schools	72.2%		67.1	142^nd of 484 public middle schools	70.7%	9			45.9	47.2	52.9	48.7			43.8	43.7	58.2	48.6		45.4	45.4	49.8	$24,123
Ottoson Middle	Public	7-8	63 Acton Street	Arlington	02476	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3745	963	85	11.3	10.4%	651 (67.6%)	28 (2.9%)	82 (8.5%)	132 (13.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (6.4%)	97.3	5^th of 478 public middle schools	99.0%		97.2	4^th of 484 public middle schools	99.2%	1				75.6	79.5	77.4				71.8	81.2	76.2		77.6	77.6	82.7	$20,016
Gibbs School	Public	6	41 Foster Street	Arlington	02474	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-9003	529	43	12.4	10.6%	354 (66.9%)	24 (4.5%)	37 (7.0%)	56 (10.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (10.4%)								(n/a)			71.2			71.2			68.6			68.6					$20,737
Rindge Avenue Upper School	Public	6-8	70 Rindge Avenue	Cambridge	02140	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-4060	292	31	9.4	30.1%	145 (49.7%)	56 (19.2%)	33 (11.3%)	29 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.6%)	90.3	54^th of 478 public middle schools	88.7%		90.3	56^th of 484 public middle schools	88.4%	2			72.6	69.6	74.7	72.2			71.1	68.1	70.5	69.9		51.7	51.7	55.8	$35,443

Frequently Asked Questions about Watertown Middle

What is the racial makeup of Watertown Middle?

Students at Watertown Middle are 54% White, 25% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 8% Two or more races, 4% African American.

How many students attend Watertown Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 583 students attended Watertown Middle.

What high school do graduates of Watertown Middle attend?

Students who attend Watertown Middle usually go on to attend Watertown High

Is Watertown Middle a good school?

Watertown Middle ranks 123^rd of 478 Massachusetts middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Watertown Middle in?

Watertown

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Schools in Watertown, MA

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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.