Summary:
Zip code 01801 has two middle schools — John F Kennedy Middle School (521 students) and Daniel L Joyce Middle School (455 students) — both in the Woburn district and both serving grades 6–8, for 976 middle-grade students combined. The district itself ranks 221 of 351 in Massachusetts, at the 37th percentile with 2 stars.
For 2025–2026, Joyce is the stronger school overall: it ranks 219 of 478 (54th percentile, 3 stars) versus JFK's 270 of 478 (44th percentile, 2 stars). Joyce moved up 9 percentile points and from 2 to 3 stars year over year, while JFK slipped from 52nd to 44th percentile and from 3 to 2 stars. Joyce leads in ELA (39.90 vs. 32.48) and math (35.27 vs. 26.88), and its ELA result is essentially at the state average, 0.13 points below the state's 40.03. Its 8th grade ELA (42.59) and math (42.99) are both above the state. Joyce also has the smaller student-teacher ratio, 8.3 vs. 10.2.
JFK's strengths are subject-specific: its science score (35.80) and civics score (36.65) are both above Joyce's and above the district's, though below the state. JFK's clearest challenge is 6th grade math at 17.20 — below Joyce's 32.89, the district's 23.64, and the state's 42.59. Both schools improve markedly by 8th grade in math and ELA, so the 6th grade cohort is worth watching. Joyce's civics rose sharply, from 22.67 to 34.91. Note that free/reduced lunch percentages are not provided for either school and spending data are from 2020–2021, so resource comparisons should be read cautiously; scores reflect percent proficient only and not student growth.
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