The best elementary school in Massachusetts is located in Worcester county, according to U.S. News and World report.
U.S. News and World report released its 2024 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings on Wednesday, which included more than 79,000 public middle and elementary schools around the country. In Massachusetts, 492 schools were ranked.
The rankings used state assessments of students in math and reading/language arts. It also looked at student backgrounds, achievement in core subjects, and how well schools are educating their students. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.
In Massachusetts, Albert S. Woodward Memorial School in Southborough was ranked first for the best elementary school.
The unique school only teaches second and third graders. There are 269 students enrolled in the grade school. According to U.S. News and World report, 87% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 92% scored at or above that level for reading.
Belmont Public Schools had two of the top 10 elementary schools.
Winn Brook Elementary School placed second in the state, while Mary Lee Burbank was ranked at number six.
While Boston Latin was ranked the best middle school in Massachusetts, Boston Public Schools’ best elementary school, Eliot Elementary, was ranked fifth in the state.
U.S. News previously was under scrutiny from members of the higher education community for its college rankings. People had criticized its top universities list stating that the rankings are based on limited criteria, ignore certain aspects of education and can be influenced by money, according to Forbes Magazine. U.S. News significantly changed its ranking methods for universities, eliminating five longstanding factors and adding new ones, the organization said.
