Best MA Elementary Schools by Region 2026

Greater Boston — Inside I-95

The top-ranked elementary school inside I-95 and #2 in the state. Over 2024-2026, 82% of Bates third graders met or exceeded expectations in ELA and 83% in Math, and the 2026 class reached 88% in ELA. It anchors Wellesley, which places six elementary schools in the state's top 100.

This Cambridge charter school posts some of the highest scores in Massachusetts: three-year averages of 87% in ELA and 92% in Math, rising to 91% and 98% in 2026. It does so with 59% of students from low-income households, by far the highest share among the state's top 10 elementary schools.

Newton's top-ranked elementary school averages 91% in Math over three years, the highest Math rate of any traditional public elementary school inside I-95. Classes average under 17 students, among the smallest of the region's leaders.

Belmont's highest-ranked elementary school averages 85% in Math over three years. Belmont, the #3 district in the state, places all four of its ranked elementary schools in the state's top 100.

Greater Boston — I-95 to I-495

Acton's Paul P. Gates is the #1 elementary school in Massachusetts. Over 2024-2026, 84% of its third graders met or exceeded expectations in ELA and 83% in Math. Acton-Boxborough's average home value is well under $1 million, less than half of Weston's.

Weston's Country School ranks #3 statewide, and its sister school Woodland ranks #10, giving the state's #1 district two of its top 10 elementary schools. Both average 81-83% in ELA and Math over three years.

Reading's Joshua Eaton ranks #7 in the state, and its 2026 class posted 88% in ELA and 85% in Math. Reading's average home value, about $940K, is less than half of Weston's.

Woodland, Weston's second school in the state's top 10, posted 89% in Math in 2026. Weston spends about $31,200 per pupil, one of the highest rates in the state.

North Shore & Merrimack Valley

Andover's Sanborn is the North Shore's highest-ranked elementary school and #5 statewide, with an 88% three-year Math average. Its 2026 ELA result (55%) was well below its average, a reminder that one class can swing results; its ranking reflects three years.

North Reading's L.D. Batchelder ranks #16 in the state with an 80% three-year Math average. North Reading and Andover each place two schools in the state's top 100, the most of any North Shore district.

Swallow/Union in the Groton-Dunstable district averages 81% in Math over three years and posted 83% in 2026, ranking #28 statewide.

Hamilton-Wenham's Bessie Buker had a strong 2026: 83% of third graders met or exceeded expectations in both ELA and Math, well above its three-year averages of 70% and 73%.

South Shore

Hingham's Plymouth River is the South Shore's top elementary school (#22 statewide), with an 80% three-year ELA average, the highest in the region.

Marshfield's Eames Way posts the South Shore's best Math results, an 86% three-year average, and ranks #24 statewide. Marshfield's average home value, about $805K, is far below Hingham's $1.37 million.

Hingham's second school in the state's top 100 (#60) averages 71% in ELA and 69% in Math over three years and enrolls more than 500 students.

Cohasset's Deer Hill (#89) posts balanced three-year averages of 67% in ELA and 68% in Math, with attendance near 96%.

South Coast & Cape Cod

On Martha's Vineyard, Chilmark Elementary is the only South Coast or Cape school in the state's top 100 (#72), averaging 80% in ELA over three years. With about 70 students, its results can swing from year to year.

Acushnet Elementary (#168) is the highest-ranked mainland school in the region, with about 61% of third graders meeting expectations in both ELA and Math over three years, in a town where the average home is assessed around $500K.

Freetown Elementary had a strong 2026 (70% in ELA and 76% in Math) and has the smallest average class size among the region's leaders, about 13 students.

Mansfield's Jordan/Jackson is the largest school among the region's leaders, with about 770 students, and averages 64% in Math over three years.

Central Massachusetts

Shrewsbury's Walter J. Paton is Central Massachusetts' top elementary school (#31 statewide). Its 2026 third graders posted 86% in both ELA and Math, well above its three-year averages.

Spring Street (#41), Shrewsbury's second-ranked school, averages 79% in Math over three years, with attendance near 96%.

Floral Street (#66) completes Shrewsbury's hold on the region's top three spots. With more than 500 students, it is one of the larger schools among the region's leaders.

Dawson in Holden, part of Wachusett Regional, is the highest-ranked Central Massachusetts school outside Shrewsbury (#107), averaging 72% in Math over three years with classes of about 16 students.

Western Massachusetts

Williamsburg's Anne T. Dunphy School is Western Massachusetts' highest-ranked elementary school (#35 statewide), with a 76% three-year ELA average. It is a small school, about 115 students, with classes of about 15.

Conway Grammar (#90), with about 150 students, posted 87% in Math in 2026, well above its 73% three-year average.

Longmeadow's Wolf Swamp Road (#93) leads the Springfield suburbs, with three-year averages of 67% in ELA and 69% in Math. Longmeadow's average home is assessed around $565K.

Pittsfield's Williams School (#114) is the highest-ranked elementary school in the Berkshires, averaging 67% in Math over three years.