Two Needham Schools Among Best In State: Niche

Niche.com has released its latest list of the top 100 schools in Massachusetts, with a twist. The latest rankings include both public and private schools, and elementary, middle and high schools. That means usual top performers like the Massachusetts Academy of Math & Science and Lexington High School have gotten knocked down a couple spots, as Niche favors private schools.

In fact, the first public school that appears on the list lands at No. 12. Seven of the top 10 schools also double as boarding schools.

The top 25 includes St. Sebastian's. The private school located in Needham was named the 21st best school in the state and the top catholic school.

Needham High School came in at 53rd overall and 17th among public high schools.

Here are the breakdowns:

St. Sebastian's

• Overall Grade: A+
• Academics: A+
• Teachers: A
• Clubs and Activities: A+
• Diversity: C-
• College Prep: A+
• Sports: A-

Needham High School

• Overall Grade: A+
• Academics: A+
• Teachers: A+
• Clubs and Activities: A
• Diversity: C+
• College Prep: A+
• Sports: A-

Niche's methodology is based on an analysis of academic and student-life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with test scores, and feedback from Niche.com users. It is important to remember that every school on this top 100 list receives either an A+ or an A for an overall score from Niche.

Click here for the full top 100.

Alex Newman contributed to this report.

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