Medford
1 high school and 4 elementary schools in our rankings · serves Medford
Ranks #151 of 328 Massachusetts school districts — top 47%.
MCAS is the share of students meeting or exceeding expectations in 2026, grades 3–10 combined. Spending is total per-pupil expenditure in FY2024.
Medford is a city located about 5 miles northwest of downtown Boston, along the Mystic River in Middlesex County. The Medford Public Schools district serves the city's students through a system that includes Medford High School. Medford's single-family assessed value sits above the state median, reflecting the city's proximity to Boston and its established residential neighborhoods. Settled in 1630, Medford is one of the older communities in the Boston area and is known for its historic Royall House and Slave Quarters, a preserved 18th-century estate that is among the few surviving sites of its kind in New England.
How it compares
- Strongest area: SAT scores, in the top 23% of districts. Its high schools average 1176 on the SAT, vs 1113 for the average MA district.
- Area to watch: Graduation rate ranks in the bottom 26% of districts.
- Top school: Brooks School, #156 of 895 Massachusetts elementary schools.
- Trend: Chronic absence has fallen from 30.2% in 2022 to 15.1% in 2025.
A district's overall rank is the average statewide percentile of its ranked schools, with a 10% discount for single-school districts. Category standings compare the average of each district's ranked schools and count only districts with data. How we rank
Schools in Medford
We rank high schools that report SAT results and elementary schools with grade 3 MCAS results, so some of the district's schools (middle schools, for example) aren't listed. Elementary ELA and Math are 2024–2026 averages of grade 3 results.
MCAS results
Share of students meeting or exceeding expectations, compared with the state. Statewide 10th-grade results dropped after 2024, when passing the MCAS stopped being a graduation requirement. There was no test in 2020.
High school results
Averages of the district's ranked high schools (Medford High). "MA avg" is the average of all Massachusetts districts with high school data.
Students & classrooms
48.6% female · 51.2% male · 0.3% nonbinary
Spending & teachers
Spending is total per-pupil expenditure from all sources. Dollar figures aren't adjusted for inflation. "MA median" is the middle district in each year; small districts can spend far more per student, so the median is a fairer yardstick than the average. Salary is the average across 401 full-time-equivalent teachers.
Attendance
10.2 days absent per student (MA avg 11) · 3.9% missed 20% or more of school days
About Medford
What could you afford here? · All towns A–Z
Town figures are FY2026 averages for single-family homes from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. Assessed values usually run below recent sale prices. "MA median" is the median of the state's 351 towns.
Compare Medford with nearby districts
Side by side: test scores, spending, class size, home values and taxes. Distance is between district centers. Compare with any district