Newton
2 high schools and 15 elementary schools in our rankings · serves Newton
Ranks #44 of 328 Massachusetts school districts — top 14%.
MCAS is the share of students meeting or exceeding expectations in 2026, grades 3–10 combined. Spending is total per-pupil expenditure in FY2024.
Newton is a city located about 10 miles west of Boston, in Middlesex County, and is composed of a cluster of villages including Newton Centre, Chestnut Hill, and Newtonville. The Newton Public Schools district serves the entire city and operates two high schools, Newton North and Newton South. Among Massachusetts communities, Newton ranks in the top 5% for both single-family assessed value and per capita income, reflecting its status as one of the state's most affluent suburbs. Historically, the city was first settled in 1630 and is known for its extensive network of parks and conservation land, including the Charles River corridor and Hammond Pond Reservation.
How it compares
- Strongest area: SAT scores, in the top 5% of districts. Its high schools average 1284 on the SAT, vs 1113 for the average MA district.
- Top school: John Ward, #6 of 895 Massachusetts elementary schools.
- Trend: Chronic absence has fallen from 15.3% in 2022 to 11.3% 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 Newton
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. "MA avg" is the average of all Massachusetts districts with high school data.
Students & classrooms
49% female · 50.6% male · 0.4% 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 1,059 full-time-equivalent teachers.
Attendance
9.1 days absent per student (MA avg 11) · 2.3% missed 20% or more of school days
About Newton
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 Newton with nearby districts
Side by side: test scores, spending, class size, home values and taxes. Distance is between district centers. Compare with any district