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Katharine Lee Bates

Public Grades K-5

24^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 906 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 97% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Katharine Lee Bates is an exceptional elementary school in Wellesley, Massachusetts, serving 253 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in the state, with students performing exceptionally well on MCAS Next Generation assessments.

Katharine Lee Bates spends significantly more per student ($20,925 in 2020-2021) compared to the state average, indicating a strong investment in educational resources and programs. The school maintains a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 13.2 to 15.8 students per teacher in recent years, which may contribute to its academic success. Notably, the school's MCAS proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are significantly higher than the state averages, with some grade levels achieving proficiency rates over 80%.

While Katharine Lee Bates outperforms the state averages, it also compares favorably to other high-performing schools in the Wellesley district, such as John D Hardy and Joseph E Fiske, which also rank among the top elementary schools in Massachusetts. Katharine Lee Bates' strong performance across different student subgroups indicates that the school is providing an equitable education and supporting the academic growth of all its students.

286

Students ?

12.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,910

Per pupil spending ?

2.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

116 Elmwood Rd
Wellesley, MA 02481

(781) 446-6260

District: Wellesley

Students who attend Katharine Lee Bates usually attend:

Middle:	Wellesley Middle
High:	Wellesley Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

75.9%

Two or more races:

8.0%

Hispanic:

7.3%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 82nd percentile in 2015 → 97th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (77% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 3% of Massachusetts elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 15 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school77%

District avg75%

Massachusetts avg41%

24^th of 906

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Top 3%▲ up 15 pts since 2015

From top 18% (2015) to top 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6Elementary Schools in the Wellesley

7^th of 348Wellesley 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	94.9	24 of 906	97.4%	★★★★★
2024	97.6	3 of 916	99.7%	★★★★★
2023	95.5	19 of 928	98.0%	★★★★★
2022	92.2	52 of 932	94.4%	★★★★★
2021	92.8	44 of 936	95.3%	★★★★★
2019	90.1	57 of 942	93.9%	★★★★★
2018	88.1	74 of 934	92.1%	★★★★★
2017	83.3	134 of 938	85.7%	★★★★☆
2016	86.1	97 of 932	89.6%	★★★★☆
2015	79.9	164 of 914	82.1%	★★★★☆
2014	87.7	65 of 926	93.0%	★★★★★
2013	84.2	117 of 928	87.4%	★★★★☆
2012	86.9	83 of 930	91.1%	★★★★★
2011	85.0	108 of 924	88.3%	★★★★☆
2010	87.1	84 of 920	90.9%	★★★★★
2009	82.3	136 of 909	85.0%	★★★★☆
2008	80.7	158 of 908	82.6%	★★★★☆
2007	87.3	75 of 911	91.8%	★★★★★
2006	84.6	123 of 911	86.5%	★★★★☆
2005	90.6	38 of 887	95.7%	★★★★★
2004	88.7	64 of 882	92.7%	★★★★★
2003	86.4	90 of 884	89.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	91.6	45 of 869	94.8%	★★★★★
2024	96.9	4 of 886	99.5%	★★★★★
2023	95.0	15 of 887	98.3%	★★★★★
2022	89.2	80 of 901	91.1%	★★★★★
2021	91.8	43 of 898	95.2%	★★★★★
2019	84.7	106 of 902	88.2%	★★★★☆
2018	81.4	127 of 893	85.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	94.5	16 of 884	98.2%	★★★★★
2024	96.3	6 of 891	99.3%	★★★★★
2023	93.6	31 of 896	96.5%	★★★★★
2022	91.8	48 of 908	94.7%	★★★★★
2021	89.7	67 of 904	92.6%	★★★★★
2019	92.8	20 of 907	97.8%	★★★★★
2018	91.1	40 of 898	95.5%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2018	74.5	155 of 886	82.5%	★★★★☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	92.6	40 of 925	95.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	93.3	20 of 737	97.3%	★★★★★
2024	94.8	8 of 753	98.9%	★★★★★
2023	89.8	38 of 762	95.0%	★★★★★
2022	83.1	93 of 764	87.8%	★★★★☆
2021	84.0	84 of 765	89.0%	★★★★☆
2019	86.1	58 of 780	92.6%	★★★★★
2018	80.1	115 of 772	85.1%	★★★★☆

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)

Male (2025)98th percentile~ school

White (2025)97th percentile~ school

Tested In Person (2021)96th percentile~ school

Female (2025)95th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2018)83rd percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?

Science79%+37 vs state

Mathematics78%+37 vs state

English Language Arts76%+35 vs state

★

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Schools Near Katharine Lee Bates

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)		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 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	Total
Katharine Lee Bates	Public	K-5	116 Elmwood Rd	Wellesley	02481	Norfolk County	Wellesley	No	No	No	No	(781) 446-6260	286	22	12.9		217 (75.9%)	7 (2.4%)	21 (7.3%)	18 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (8.0%)	94.9	24^th of 906 public elementary schools	97.4%		97.6	3^rd of 916 public elementary schools	99.7%	21	79.7	66.7	78.9	76.2	84.8	66.7	76.9	77.6	78.9	78.9	$25,910
John D Hardy	Public	K-5	293 Weston Rd	Wellesley	02482	Norfolk County	Wellesley	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 446-6270	280	27	10.5		150 (53.6%)	2 (0.7%)	24 (8.6%)	88 (31.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.7%)	97.3	1^st of 906 public elementary schools	99.9%		97.7	2^nd of 916 public elementary schools	99.8%	1	78.2	82.2	94.7	84.1	80.0	84.4	79.0	81.2	86.8	86.8	$27,923
Sprague Elementary School	Public	K-5	401 School Street	Wellesley	02482	Norfolk County	Wellesley	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 263-1965	289	25	11.7		160 (55.4%)	11 (3.8%)	32 (11.1%)	58 (20.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.7%)	91.6	53^rd of 906 public elementary schools	94.2%		93.8	33^rd of 916 public elementary schools	96.4%	20	74.4	64.4	74.5	71.2	65.1	68.9	70.6	68.4	78.4	78.4	$27,482
Hunnewell	Public	K-5	28 Cameron Street	Wellesley	02482	Norfolk County	Wellesley	No	No	No	No	(781) 446-6275	294	28	10.5		207 (70.4%)	7 (2.4%)	20 (6.8%)	32 (10.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.5%)	91.2	56^th of 906 public elementary schools	93.8%		94.5	24^th of 916 public elementary schools	97.4%	32	64.3	63.3	78.4	68.6	66.1	67.4	86.3	73.1	82.4	82.4	$29,139
Lilja Elementary	Public	K-4	41 Bacon Street	Natick	01760	Middlesex County	Natick	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 647-6570	445	38	11.7		293 (65.8%)	8 (1.8%)	62 (13.9%)	49 (11.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.4%)	59.2	368^th of 906 public elementary schools	59.4%		62.5	345^th of 916 public elementary schools	62.3%	23	48.3	45.7		47.2	44.9	51.4		47.8			$20,501
Loker School	Public	K-5	47 Loker Street	Wayland	01778	Middlesex County	Wayland	No	No	No	Yes	(508) 358-8601	359	29	12.4		231 (64.3%)	6 (1.7%)	37 (10.3%)	56 (15.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.8%)	95.4	18^th of 906 public elementary schools	98.0%		94.3	27^th of 916 public elementary schools	97.1%	9	74.6	78.5	70.8	74.6	81.0	81.5	73.9	78.8	78.5	78.5	$21,853
Bennett-Hemenway	Public	K-4	22 East Evergreen Rd	Natick	01760	Middlesex County	Natick	No	No	No	No	(508) 647-6580	504	39	13.0		333 (66.1%)	10 (2.0%)	58 (11.5%)	71 (14.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.0%)	79.2	189^th of 906 public elementary schools	79.1%		80.3	180^th of 916 public elementary schools	80.3%	9	53.8	67.4		59.8	56.7	64.6		60.2			$20,938
Schofield	Public	K-5	27 Cedar Street	Wellesley	02481	Norfolk County	Wellesley	No	No	No	No	(781) 446-6280	291	27	10.9		190 (65.3%)	8 (2.7%)	29 (10.0%)	45 (15.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (6.2%)	90.6	61^st of 906 public elementary schools	93.3%		92.1	51^st of 916 public elementary schools	94.4%	10	71.7	61.4	75.9	69.5	73.6	63.2	66.7	67.7	79.6	79.6	$26,407
Joseph E Fiske	Public	K-5	45 Hastings Street	Wellesley	02481	Norfolk County	Wellesley	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 446-6265	278	24	11.3		152 (54.7%)	14 (5.0%)	23 (8.3%)	77 (27.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.3%)	96.3	11^th of 906 public elementary schools	98.8%		93.9	32^nd of 916 public elementary schools	96.5%	21	84.1	66.7	81.6	78.3	93.2	75.0	77.6	82.2	83.7	83.7	$24,897
Memorial	Public	K-4	107 Eliot Street	Natick	01760	Middlesex County	Natick	No	No	No	No	(508) 647-6590	455	31	14.4		334 (73.4%)	6 (1.3%)	36 (7.9%)	36 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (9.5%)	88.8	87^th of 906 public elementary schools	90.4%		87.1	108^th of 916 public elementary schools	88.2%	21	74.8	61.3		67.6	70.7	64.9		67.6			$18,434

Frequently Asked Questions about Katharine Lee Bates

Is Katharine Lee Bates a good school?

Yes! Katharine Lee Bates is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 24^th of 906 Massachusetts elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Katharine Lee Bates?

Students at Katharine Lee Bates are 76% White, 8% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 2% African American.

What district is Katharine Lee Bates in?

Wellesley

How many students attend Katharine Lee Bates?

In the 2024-25 school year, 286 students attended Katharine Lee Bates.

What schools do graduates of Katharine Lee Bates attend?

Students who attend Katharine Lee Bates usually go on to attend:

Middle : Wellesley Middle
High : Wellesley Senior High

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Schools in Wellesley, MA

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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.