Summary:
ZIP code 02139 in Cambridge, Massachusetts is served by a single public middle school: Putnam Avenue Upper School, located at 100 Putnam Avenue. It serves grades 6 through 8 with 283 students and is part of the Cambridge district. Because it is the only middle school in the ZIP code, the most useful comparisons are against the Cambridge district and Massachusetts state averages.
The school is a strong performer. It holds a 4-star rating in each of the last three reported years and ranked 87th of 478 Massachusetts schools in 2025–2026, placing it in the 82nd percentile — roughly the top 18%. Its rank has climbed steadily, from 107th of 493 in 2023–2024 to 92nd of 484 and then 87th of 478. English Language Arts is its standout subject: 64.04% of students met or exceeded expectations, which is 4.57 points above the Cambridge average and 24.01 points above the state. Eighth-grade ELA reached 70.45%, the highest single score in the data. Science also improved sharply, rising 6.42 points to 55.17%, moving from below the district to 4.14 points above it. Civics remains above district and state averages despite a 5.15-point dip.
Mathematics is the relative weak spot. All-grade math sits at 51.50% — 10.39 points above the state but 5.79 points below the district, the only all-grade subject trailing Cambridge. Seventh grade is the weakest cohort, with ELA 2.35 points and math 9.75 points below district averages. Context may help explain the results: the student-teacher ratio is a low 8.9 students per teacher, and per-student spending was $34,089 in 2020–2021. The free/reduced-lunch figure is unknown, so socioeconomic context cannot be assessed.
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