Best Public Schools in Watertown, MA

Summary:

The city of Watertown, Massachusetts is home to 5 schools, including 3 elementary schools (Hosmer, James Russell Lowell, and Cunniff), 1 middle school (Watertown Middle), and 1 high school (Watertown High).

The top-performing schools in Watertown are Hosmer Elementary and James Russell Lowell Elementary, which rank among the best elementary schools in Massachusetts and earn 4-star ratings from SchoolDigger. These schools excel in MCAS testing, with over 50% of students proficient or better in core subjects. In contrast, Cunniff Elementary lags behind, with lower test scores and a 3-star rating.

Watertown High School maintains a respectable 3-star rating and a 86.4% four-year graduation rate, while Watertown Middle School also performs well, with MCAS scores above the state average. Overall, the Watertown school district demonstrates a commitment to education, as evidenced by its high spending per student and low student-teacher ratios across all schools.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts (2024)								MCAS Next Generation Mathematics (2024)								MCAS Next Generation Science (2024)				MCAS Next Generation Physics (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 6th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 6th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Science 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Physics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cunniff	Public	K-5	246 Warren Street	Watertown	02472	Middlesex County	Watertown	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 926-7726	326	36	9.1		187 (57.4%)	11 (3.4%)	80 (24.5%)	16 (4.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (9.5%)	60.9	357^th of 916 public elementary schools	61.0%		41.6	549^th of 928 public elementary schools	40.8%	192	46.8	32.6	47.3					42.6	53.2	48.9	47.3					49.7	54.6			54.6		$24,988	$879	$24,109
Hosmer	Public	PK, KG-5	1 Concord Rd	Watertown	02472	Middlesex County	Watertown	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 926-7740	716	70	10.2		409 (57.1%)	31 (4.3%)	135 (18.9%)	70 (9.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	69 (9.6%)	72.6	263^rd of 916 public elementary schools	71.3%		74.9	235^th of 928 public elementary schools	74.7%	28	49.4	50.6	50.5					50.2	48.1	62.0	58.1					56.2	59.1			59.1		$24,179	$879	$23,300
James Russell Lowell	Public	K-5	123 Lowell Ave.	Watertown	02472	Middlesex County	Watertown	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 926-7770	355	42	8.4		185 (52.1%)	10 (2.8%)	89 (25.1%)	29 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (11.8%)	79.2	191^st of 916 public elementary schools	79.1%		78.2	202^nd of 928 public elementary schools	78.2%	11	51.0	55.9	52.9					53.5	56.9	69.1	60.8					62.9	60.8			60.8		$24,276	$879	$23,397
Watertown High	Public	9-12	27 Westminster Ave.	Watertown	02472	Middlesex County	Watertown	No	No	No	No	(617) 926-7760	733	72	10.1		404 (55.1%)	29 (4.0%)	183 (25.0%)	61 (8.3%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (6.5%)	51.5	188^th of 348 public high schools	46.0%		64.4	132^nd of 347 public high schools	62.0%	56							52.5								53.8				45.9		49.0	$23,661	$891	$22,769
Watertown Middle	Public	6-8	68 Waverley Avenue	Watertown	02472	Middlesex County	Watertown	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 926-7783	532	53	10.0		307 (57.7%)	15 (2.8%)	117 (22.0%)	46 (8.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (8.1%)	62.9	167^th of 493 public middle schools	66.1%		59	184^th of 501 public middle schools	63.3%	17				40.1	38.4	57.9		45.2				40.7	41.7	43.9		42.1		42.6		42.6		$23,383	$879	$22,504

Cities Near Watertown

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Newton	1.11 mi	5	58^th
Belmont	1.14 mi	7	8^th
Cambridge	1.28 mi	20	131^st
Brighton	1.42 mi	7	340^th
Newtonville	1.85 mi	4	61^st

See the top MA Massachusetts cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.