Waltham
1 high school and 7 elementary schools in our rankings · serves Waltham
Ranks #204 of 328 Massachusetts school districts.
MCAS is the share of students meeting or exceeding expectations in 2026, grades 3–10 combined. Spending is total per-pupil expenditure in FY2024.
Waltham is a city located about 10 miles west of Boston, in Middlesex County, and it sits along the Charles River. The Waltham Public Schools district serves the city and is anchored by Waltham Senior High School. Known as "The Watch City" for its historic role in American watchmaking, Waltham was home to the Waltham Watch Company, which began production in the 1850s. The city is also home to Brandeis University and Bentley University, which contribute to its character as a mix of residential neighborhoods, academic institutions, and small urban centers.
How it compares
- Strongest area: Attendance, in the top 46% of districts. Students attend 93.4% of school days, vs 93.7% for the average MA district.
- Area to watch: Graduation rate ranks in the bottom 13% of districts.
- Trend: Chronic absence has fallen from 25.7% in 2022 to 18.8% 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 Waltham
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 (Waltham Sr High). "MA avg" is the average of all Massachusetts districts with high school data.
Students & classrooms
48.2% female · 51.6% male · 0.2% 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 552 full-time-equivalent teachers.
Attendance
11.2 days absent per student (MA avg 11) · 5.5% missed 20% or more of school days
About Waltham
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 Waltham with nearby districts
Side by side: test scores, spending, class size, home values and taxes. Distance is between district centers. Compare with any district