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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WATERTOWN·NCES 251218002002

James Russell Lowell

123 Lowell Ave., Watertown, MA 02472 · (617) 926-7770 · Middlesex County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL422 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 70% of Massachusetts public elementary schools
  • A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • ·Beats expectations Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
  • C+Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.

Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Massachusetts public elementary schools

Enrollment
422
Elementary
DISTRICT 500 · STATE 381
Student : Teacher
9.8:1
43 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 9.5:1 · STATE 12.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
Community
4
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Pre-K184%
Kindergarten8520%
Grade 17919%
Grade 24511%
Grade 36916%
Grade 45413%
Grade 57217%

This year's kindergarten class (85) is 18% larger than its 5th grade class (72).

Student demographics
63%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 63% · STATE 65% · US 70%
White
23055%
DISTRICT 54% · STATE 51% · US 43%
Hispanic
9222%
DISTRICT 23% · STATE 26% · US 30%
Black
113%
DISTRICT 5% · STATE 10% · US 15%
Asian
5413%
DISTRICT 9% · STATE 7% · US 6%
Two+
358%
DISTRICT 9% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
22253%
Female
20047%

School pathway

Students here typically continue to
James Russell Lowell→Watertown Middle→Watertown High
Based on grade levels within Watertown. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.

Discussions

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Test scores

MCAS 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding Expectations
English Language Arts
58.0%
MA avg 43.8% . +7.0pp since 2016
Math
57.0%
MA avg 42.2% . +4.0pp since 2016

What this means: On the MCAS, Massachusetts's statewide test, about 58 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 57 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Massachusetts schools, those numbers are about 44 and 42. Reading and writing scores are up about 7 points since 2016, while math scores are up about 4 points.

MCAS results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2558.0%57.0%
2023-2454.0%63.0%
2022-2360.0%58.0%
2021-2257.0%60.0%
2020-2152.0%39.0%
2018-1965.0%65.0%
2017-1857.0%52.0%
2016-1751.0%53.0%
% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

Where James Russell Lowell ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn MassachusettsIn Middlesex County
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
57.0%#261 of 920
▼ 67
#102 of 207
▼ 26
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
58.0%#212 of 920
▲ 31
#87 of 207
▲ 14
3-year test score change
ranked biggest drop first
-1.0pp#338 of 901#84 of 206
Enrollment
ranked largest first
422#396 of 1,086#100 of 238
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
9.8:1#92 of 938#20 of 222
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
63.2%#213 of 938#77 of 222
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+1.2%#294 of 317#68 of 77
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.

4-year change

SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
422
+21 (+5%) vs 2020
+22% since 1990-91, when it was 347
Student : Teacher
9.8:1
was 9.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2542243.29.8:1N/A
2023-2437640.49.3:1N/A
2022-2335541.88.5:1N/A
2020-21401439.3:1N/A
2017-1841738.410.8:1N/A
2015-164073611.3:1N/A
2010-113953411.6:128% (112)
2000-01350N/AN/A20% (69)
1990-91347N/AN/AN/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for James Russell Lowell.

Since 2017-18: students up 1% (417 to 422); teachers up 12% (38.4 to 43.2).

About James Russell Lowell

Federal records list James Russell Lowell as an elementary school in Watertown, Massachusetts. It serves 422 students in pre-K through 5.

Watertown counts 5 schools and 2,844 students, including James Russell Lowell.

A majority of students at James Russell Lowell, 55%, are White. Other reported shares: 22% Hispanic, 13% Asian, 8% multiracial, and 3% Black. Middlesex County's residents are about 67% White, 12 points above the school's share. James Russell Lowell has a diversity index of 63%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.

With 43.2 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, the ratio at James Russell Lowell was 9.8:1. Among elementary schools in Massachusetts, the typical ratio is 12.2:1.

James Russell Lowell is graded B+ by allk12, scoring above 70% of Massachusetts public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.

In the county around the school, Middlesex County, median household income is about $130,847, about 60% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 5%. A total of 386 public schools operate in Middlesex County, serving about 215,896 students.

Nearby, Watertown Middle is about 0.5 miles away. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8.

For locale, NCES codes James Russell Lowell as Suburb: Large.

From 2020-21 to 2024-25, James Russell Lowell went from 401 students to 422.

Posts about school safety, transportation, and start times are welcome on this page. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.

Middlesex County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
1,638,365
Census ACS
Median income
$130,847
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
60%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
386
215,896 students

Quick facts

School name
James Russell Lowell
District
Watertown
Address
123 Lowell Ave., Watertown, MA 02472
Phone
(617) 926-7770
County
Middlesex County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–05
Total enrollment
422
Teachers (FTE)
43
Student–teacher ratio
9.8:1
Locale
21-Suburb: Large
NCES ID
251218002002
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Watertown
Other schools in Watertown
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About James Russell Lowell
What is the total enrollment at James Russell Lowell?
James Russell Lowell enrolls approximately 422 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does James Russell Lowell serve?
James Russell Lowell serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James Russell Lowell?
The student-to-teacher ratio at James Russell Lowell is approximately 9.8:1 (43 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at James Russell Lowell?
At James Russell Lowell, the student body is approximately 55% White, 22% Hispanic, 3% Black, 13% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Is James Russell Lowell public or private?
James Russell Lowell is a public K-12 school, overseen by Watertown.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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