Summary:
ZIP code 01463 covers Pepperell, Massachusetts, and contains two schools serving grades K–8: Varnum Brook (elementary, K–4, 606 students) and Nissitissit Middle School (middle, 5–8, 494 students), both part of the North Middlesex district; no high school is listed for this ZIP, so families here feed into a different campus after grade 8.
The two schools have distinct academic profiles rather than a clear overall winner. Varnum Brook is the math standout: 45.99% proficient in all-grades math in 2025–2026, above both the district (35.59%) and the state (41.11%), with grade 4 math at 47.37% versus 43.20% statewide. Its ELA is more mixed, at 39.24% — above the district but just under the state — and its rank slipped from the 60th to the 50th percentile, still a 3-star school. Nissitissit Middle School is strongest in science (43.95% all grades, above district and state) and upper-grade ELA, where grade 8 reached 47.83% versus 41.70% statewide and grade 7 hit 42.98% versus 39.91%. Its math is the weak spot: 35.58%, essentially tied with the district but 5.53 points below the state, and grade 8 civics lagged badly at 29.57% against 39.77% statewide.
Both schools outpace their district, which ranks 229 of 351 (35th percentile, 2 stars), and each holds a 3-star school-level history — Nissitissit climbing from the 50th to the 58th percentile and Varnum Brook sitting at the 50th. Notably, Nissitissit has the smaller student-teacher ratio (10.5 versus 14) and higher per-student spending ($17,368 versus $16,078, from 2020–2021), yet Varnum Brook posts stronger math results; the schools serve different grades, so this is not a cause-and-effect comparison. Free/reduced-lunch figures are blank for both schools in 2024–2025, so economic context can't be compared from this data. In short: choose by grade level and subject emphasis — elementary math is a Pepperell strength, while middle school shines in science and ELA but needs attention in math and civics.
Thank you for your feedback!