Summary:
ZIP code 01056 contains just one middle school — Paul R Baird Middle — serving grades 6 through 8 with 513 students, located in the Ludlow school district, which ranks 262 of 351 Massachusetts districts (25th percentile, 1 star). Because it is the only middle school in the area, everything below describes this single school and how it compares with its district and the state.
On the 2025–2026 MCAS Next Generation tests, 6th grade math is the standout: 43.29% proficient, the only reported grade-level result above the state rate of 42.59%. Science showed the biggest year-over-year gain, rising from 30.18% to 35.76% (up 5.58 points) while both the district and state slipped slightly. ELA, however, is the clear weakness — all-grades ELA is 20.68%, roughly half the state's 40.03%, and 6th grade ELA is only 11.52% against a state rate of 40.26%. Math also weakens as students move up: 43.29% in 6th grade, 28.47% in 7th, and 26.19% in 8th, which trails the state's 41.67% by 15.48 points. Civics declined from 36.26% to 29.59%.
Compared like for like, the school edges Ludlow in every reported 2025–2026 grade and subject, though usually by less than 1 point. Its state rank has drifted from 292 of 493 (41st percentile) in 2023–2024 to 306 of 478 (36th percentile, 2 stars) in 2025–2026. The student-teacher ratio is 11.1, implying roughly 46 teachers for 513 students, and per-student spending was $18,374 in 2020–2021, an older figure. Free/reduced-lunch data is not reported, so socioeconomic context is unavailable. The overall picture: genuine strengths in 6th grade math and improving science, but persistent and substantial ELA gaps.
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