Summary:
Zip code 02184 covers Braintree, Massachusetts and contains just two middle schools — East Middle School and South Middle School — both serving grades 5–8 in the Braintree district. Together they enroll 1,634 students, with East (999) about 57% larger than South (635). Both hold 4 stars, and the Braintree district ranks 82nd of 351 statewide (77th percentile), so families here are choosing between two schools inside an already strong district.
South Middle School is the stronger performer locally. It beats East Middle School in every subject and in 13 of 14 comparable grade-and-subject cells, and sits above its district and the state in all 14 of its 2025‑26 reporting cells: 54.63 in English language arts, 60.47 in math, and 64.94 in science, versus East's 42.96, 53.48, and 54.41. The widest gap is 6th grade ELA (60.24 vs. 40.43), and South's high point is 5th grade science at 73.01, roughly 30 points above the state's 43.07. East is not weak overall — it exceeds the state in 13 of 14 cells, with 8th grade math at 59.57, and it posted the one divergent year-over-year move, 8th grade civics up 3.47 points to just above the district. Its 7th grade ELA (36.84) is the only cell below the state figure.
Over three years both schools held 4 stars while slowly converging: East rose from the 70th to the 72nd percentile, South eased from the 84th to the 82nd, leaving a 10-point gap. Resources also differ — South runs smaller classes (11.5 vs. 13.0 student-teacher ratio) and spent $2,336 more per student in the 2020‑21 figure. Free/reduced-lunch data is not reported for either school, and these contrasts are descriptive only, not proof of cause.
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