MA's Best Middle Schools Ranked In New Analysis

MASSACHUSETTS — Pierce in Brookline is the best public middle school in Massachusetts, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News researchers based the 2025 ranking of the nation’s best public middle schools on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. The researchers analyzed 59,128 middle schools for the report.

The top 25 public middle schools in Massachusetts are:

1. Pierce, Brookline
2. Boston Latin School
3. Jonas Clarke Middle, Lexington
4. Wm Diamond Middle, Lexington
5. Lawrence, Brookline
6. Belmont Middle School
7. High Rock School, Needham
8. Weston Middle
9. Blanchard Middle, Westford
10. William H. Lincoln, Brookline
11. Hopkinton Middle School
12. Pollard Middle, Needham
13. Ottoson Middle, Arlington
14. Heath, Chestnut Hill
15. Carlisle School
16. Charles E Brown Middle, Newton
17. O'Bryant School of Math & Science, Boston
18. Sarah Gibbons Middle, Westborough
19. Wayland Middle School
20. Lincoln School
21. Thomas Prince, Princeton
22. Bromfield, Harvard
23. Edith C Baker, Chestnut Hill
24. Michael Driscoll, Brookline
25. Ephraim Curtis Middle, Sudbury

Go here to see the full list of best Massachusetts middle schools.

The methodology for the rankings focused on state assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in math and reading/language arts, while also accounting for students’ background and their achievements in core subjects. Student-teacher ratios were applied to break ties.

The rankings are intended as an evaluation tool to give parents a snapshot of how well schools provide a high-quality education and prepare students for a successful future, LaMont Jones, managing editor for Education at U.S. News, said in a news release.

See related: These Are MA's 50 Best Public High Schools, New Ranking Says

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Belmont Middle School.