Summary:
ZIP code 01564 in Sterling, Massachusetts, is served by a single public elementary school: Houghton Elementary, a K–4 school with 317 students in the Wachusett district. Because there is only one elementary school in this ZIP code, there are no in-area comparisons to make — the most useful benchmarks are how Houghton compares with its district, with the state, and with its own past results.
On the 2025–2026 MCAS Next Generation tests, Houghton outpaced both the district and the state. All-grade ELA proficiency was 52.85%, versus 49.40% for Wachusett and 40.03% statewide, and all-grade mathematics was 58.87%, versus 53.76% in the district and 41.11% statewide. Third-grade mathematics was the single standout result: 69.49% proficient, 12.35 percentage points above the district and 27.30 points above the state. Fourth-grade ELA (50.77%) also beat the district by 4.73 points. The relative soft spot is fourth-grade mathematics at 49.23%, slightly below the district's 50.19% but still above the state's 43.20%. Third-grade ELA (55.17%) was essentially even with the district and more than 12 points above the state.
Year over year, mathematics rose 4.77 points while ELA slipped 0.43 points — and both the district and state declined in ELA, so Houghton's small dip came against a falling backdrop. Houghton ranks in the 75th percentile among 899 ranked schools with 4 stars, recovering from 3 stars and the 69th percentile the prior year and matching its 2023–2024 level. The district ranks 97th of 351 with 4 stars. The student-teacher ratio is 11.3, and per-student spending was $18,309 for 2020–2021, a figure that is several years old. The free/reduced-lunch percentage is not reported in this data, so family-income context cannot be assessed from it.
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