Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 02476

Zip code 02476 in Arlington, Massachusetts contains just one listed middle school: Ottoson Middle, which serves grades 7–8 and enrolls 963 students. It is part of Arlington Public Schools, a district ranked 17th of 351 in Massachusetts, placing it in the 95th percentile with 5 stars. Because this ZIP area has only one middle school, there are no in-area peers to compare against, so the useful comparisons are to the district and the state.

Ottoson is a standout by any measure. Its state rank history is exceptional: 5th of 478 schools in 2025–26, 4th of 484 in 2024–25, and 12th of 493 in 2023–24 — consistently in roughly the top 1% to 2% of Massachusetts middle schools, with 5 stars each year. In 2025–26 MCAS Next Generation results, its percent-proficient scores far exceed state averages: ELA all grades 77.43, math all grades 76.18, science all grades 77.60, and 8th-grade civics 82.66, all roughly 34 to 43 percentage points above the state. The strongest core academic result is 8th-grade math at 81.17, while civics shows the largest margin over the state at +42.89 points. Eighth grade outperforms seventh grade, especially in math (81.17 versus 71.79), though the district shows a similar pattern.

Compared with its own high-performing district, Ottoson's margins are smaller but still positive in most areas: +6.36 points in ELA all grades and +6.12 in math all grades, with science all grades 0.18 points below the district while 8th-grade science is 0.42 points above. Year over year, ELA all grades declined 2.23 points, while math rose 0.46, science rose 2.34, and 8th-grade civics rose 3.61. The student-teacher ratio is 11.3 (2024–25) and per-student spending was $17,089 (2020–21). Note that the free/reduced-lunch percentage is not reported in this record and should not be read as zero, and the spending figure is not current.