Summary:
Zip code 02453 contains exactly one middle school: John W. McDevitt Middle School, a grades 6–8 school with 618 students in the Waltham district. Because it is the only middle school in the zip code, there is nothing to compare it against locally — families here have a single public middle school option. The Waltham district itself is ranked 231 of 351 districts in Massachusetts, placing it at the 34th percentile with 2 stars. Free and reduced lunch data is not available for the school, so its economic context cannot be assessed.
By ranking, John W. McDevitt Middle School is a near-median Massachusetts middle school, but its recent trajectory has slipped. In 2023–2024 it ranked 236 of 493 schools at the 52nd percentile with 3 stars; in 2024–2025 it ranked 223 of 484 at the 54th percentile with 3 stars, its best recent year; and in 2025–2026 it ranked 244 of 478 at the 49th percentile with 2 stars. That final year marks both the lowest percentile and a drop from 3 stars to 2 stars.
On 2025–2026 MCAS Next Generation tests, the school scores below both the district and the state in every reported subject and grade. Its strongest results are in 8th grade: math at 40.69% proficient (only 0.98 percentage points below the state), ELA at 39.51%, and civics at 37.25%. Its clearest concerns are 7th grade ELA at 26.52% proficient (13.39 points below the state), 7th grade math at 28.89%, and 8th grade science at 29.41%. The all-grade averages — ELA 34.26%, math 34.50%, science 29.41%, civics 37.25% — are pulled down substantially by 7th grade outcomes. All-grade ELA fell 6.42 percentage points from the prior year, the largest decline of any subject, while math was essentially flat and science and civics improved slightly. The school reports a 9.5 student-teacher ratio and $23,117 per-student spending for 2020–2021; with no district comparison, no more recent spending figure, and no socioeconomic data, these figures should not be used to explain outcomes.
Thank you for your feedback!