Best Public Schools in Arlington, MA

Summary:

The city of Arlington, Massachusetts is home to a high-performing school district with 10 schools, including 7 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school. These schools consistently deliver exceptional educational outcomes, with multiple standout institutions ranked among the top in the state.

Arlington High School is the district's crown jewel, ranked 23rd out of 348 Massachusetts high schools and boasting a 5-star rating. With outstanding test scores, a 97.6% 4-year graduation rate, and a low 1.1% dropout rate, this school is a shining example of academic excellence. Ottoson Middle School and John A. Bishop Elementary School also stand out, ranking 12th and 35th in their respective categories and earning 5-star ratings.

Across the district, the schools demonstrate consistently high performance on standardized tests, with most exceeding state averages in English Language Arts, Math, and Science proficiency. The student population is also diverse, with a majority of white students and significant Asian and multi-racial representation. The district's commitment to equity is evident in its relatively consistent per-student spending and low student-teacher ratios, ensuring that all students have access to quality resources and personalized attention.

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 Biology (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 Biology All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Physics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Arlington High	Public	9-12	869 Mass Avenue	Arlington	02476	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3591	1,609	123	13.0		1,119 (69.5%)	52 (3.2%)	138 (8.6%)	168 (10.4%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	100 (6.2%)	91.9	23^rd of 348 public high schools	93.4%		90.9	35^th of 347 public high schools	89.9%	12							82.5								82.0				77.5		27.3	84.2	$16,663	$444	$16,219
Brackett	Public	K-5	66 Eastern Avenue	Arlington	02476	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3705	423	34	12.6		283 (66.9%)	5 (1.2%)	24 (5.7%)	47 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (14.9%)	88.5	94^th of 916 public elementary schools	89.7%		87.7	101^st of 928 public elementary schools	89.1%	7	74.6	62.5	59.4					64.8	65.7	67.2	60.8					64.0	78.4			78.4			$16,088	$621	$15,467
Cyrus E Dallin	Public	K-5	185 Florence Avenue	Arlington	02476	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3722	409	33	12.5		269 (65.8%)	5 (1.2%)	29 (7.1%)	59 (14.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (11.2%)	83.4	138^th of 916 public elementary schools	84.9%		90.4	70^th of 928 public elementary schools	92.5%	68	56.3	69.6	61.5					62.5	55.4	69.6	64.6					63.4	59.8			59.8			$17,108	$403	$16,705
Hardy	Public	K-5	52 Lake Street	Arlington	02474	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 316-3781	383	35	10.8		246 (64.2%)	11 (2.9%)	26 (6.8%)	53 (13.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (12.0%)	89.6	79^th of 916 public elementary schools	91.4%		88.6	88^th of 928 public elementary schools	90.5%	9	69.6	54.0	69.8					65.1	73.2	64.0	68.3					68.6	74.6			74.6			$17,241	$780	$16,461
John A Bishop	Public	K-5	25 Columbia Road	Arlington	02474	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3791	391	33	11.8		262 (67.0%)	9 (2.3%)	27 (6.9%)	44 (11.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (12.5%)	93.7	35^th of 916 public elementary schools	96.2%		94.7	24^th of 928 public elementary schools	97.4%	11	66.2	61.3	81.4					70.1	71.9	75.8	81.2					76.4	82.6			82.6			$17,246	$736	$16,510
M Norcross Stratton	Public	K-5	180 Mountain Avenue	Arlington	02174	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 316-3754	437	34	12.8		255 (58.4%)	13 (3.0%)	34 (7.8%)	86 (19.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (10.8%)	87.9	101^st of 916 public elementary schools	89.0%		86.7	115^th of 928 public elementary schools	87.6%	14	61.6	56.3	65.7					61.0	68.5	63.3	74.3					68.5	77.1			77.1			$16,846	$836	$16,010
Ottoson Middle	Public	7-8	63 Acton Street	Arlington	02476	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3745	941	85	11.0		646 (68.7%)	31 (3.3%)	74 (7.9%)	132 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	46 (4.9%)	96.4	12^th of 493 public middle schools	97.6%		96	10^th of 501 public middle schools	98.0%	2					68.0	76.2		71.9					73.6	75.2		74.4		73.0		73.0			$17,089	$661	$16,428
Peirce	Public	K-5	85 Park Avenue Ext	Arlington	02174	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 316-3736	335	28	12.0		203 (60.6%)	21 (6.3%)	35 (10.4%)	54 (16.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.3%)	91.9	53^rd of 916 public elementary schools	94.2%		86.1	121^st of 928 public elementary schools	87.0%	68	72.1	69.8	56.1					66.1	73.8	75.0	71.4					73.4	79.6			79.6			$17,743	$713	$17,030
Thompson	Public	K-5	187 Everett Street	Arlington	02474	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 316-3768	522	41	12.7		316 (60.5%)	28 (5.4%)	47 (9.0%)	68 (13.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (11.7%)	88.7	89^th of 916 public elementary schools	90.3%		84	146^th of 928 public elementary schools	84.3%	57	65.5	68.3	73.2					68.8	60.2	69.1	67.6					65.5	68.5			68.5			$16,024	$725	$15,298
Menotomy Preschool	Public	PK	17 Irving Street	Arlington	02476	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-3698	79	7	11.2		40 (50.6%)	2 (2.5%)	7 (8.9%)	15 (19.0%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (17.7%)								(n/a)																							$25,091	$3,500	$21,590
Gibbs School	Public	6	41 Foster Street	Arlington	02474	Middlesex County	Arlington	No	No	No	No	(781) 316-9003	468	39	12.0		319 (68.2%)	15 (3.2%)	34 (7.3%)	48 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (10.3%)								(n/a)				67.2				67.2				67.9				67.9							$17,510	$515	$16,995

Cities Near Arlington

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Belmont	1.51 mi	7	5^th
Medford	1.54 mi	8	243^rd
Winchester	1.73 mi	7	20^th
Somerville	1.89 mi	11	238^th
Cambridge	2.39 mi	20	134^th

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.