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What tradition at John W. McDevitt Middle School should never be changed?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
618
Middle
DISTRICT 627 · STATE 547
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WALTHAM·NCES 251200001977
John W. McDevitt Middle School
75 Church Street, Waltham, MA 02453 · (781) 314-5595 · Middlesex County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL618 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 43% of Massachusetts public middle schools
- C+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.
- B-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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
9.6:1
65 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.0:1 · STATE 11.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 196 | 32% |
| Grade 7 | 219 | 35% |
| Grade 8 | 203 | 33% |
Student demographics
55%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 65% · US 70%
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
Test scores
MCAS 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
41.0%
MA avg 43.8% . -20.0pp since 2016
Math
34.0%
MA avg 42.2% . -9.0pp since 2016
What this means: On the MCAS, Massachusetts's statewide test, about 41 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 34 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Massachusetts schools, those numbers are about 44 and 42. Reading and writing scores are down about 20 points since 2016, while math scores are down about 9 points.
MCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 41.0% | 34.0% |
| 2023-24 | 35.0% | 34.0% |
| 2022-23 | 37.0% | 32.0% |
| 2021-22 | 37.0% | 35.0% |
| 2020-21 | 39.0% | 27.0% |
| 2018-19 | 60.0% | 46.0% |
| 2017-18 | 55.0% | 46.0% |
| 2016-17 | 61.0% | 43.0% |
% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where John W. McDevitt Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Massachusetts | In Middlesex County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 34.0% | #177 of 304 ▼ 6 | #57 of 70 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 41.0% | #164 of 304 ▲ 15 | #53 of 70 ▲ 2 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +1.5pp | #150 of 299 | #40 of 69 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 618 | #105 of 310 | #34 of 72 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 9.6:1 | #39 of 296 | #14 of 70 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 55.2% | #102 of 296 | #36 of 70 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -2.1% | #193 of 204 | #40 of 41 |
Ranked against other public middle 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 2024-25Enrollment
618
-51 (-8%) vs 2020
+94% since 1990-91, when it was 319
Student : Teacher
9.6:1
was 13.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 618 | 64.6 | 9.6:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 604 | 69.8 | 8.7:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 595 | 70 | 8.5:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 669 | 49 | 13.7:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 631 | 61.3 | 10.3:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 591 | 49 | 12.1:1 | N/A |
| 2010-11 | 516 | 55 | 9.4:1 | 36% (186) |
| 2000-01 | 343 | N/A | N/A | 39% (133) |
| 1990-91 | 319 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for John W. McDevitt Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 2% (631 to 618); teachers up 5% (61.3 to 64.6).
About John W. McDevitt Middle School
John W. McDevitt Middle School is a medium-sized middle school for students in Waltham, Massachusetts. The grade span is 6 through 8, and enrollment is 618 students.
A total of 11 schools make up Waltham, with 5,777 students enrolled.
A majority of students at John W. McDevitt Middle School, 62%, are Hispanic. Beyond that, enrollment is 23% White, 7% Black, 4% Asian, and 4% multiracial. The Hispanic share of the county population is lower, at 9%. By the diversity index, John W. McDevitt Middle School comes in at 55%.
The count of teachers at John W. McDevitt Middle School is 64.6 full-time equivalents, for a ratio of 9.6:1. The average ratio among middle schools in Massachusetts is 11.5:1, higher than at this school.
John W. McDevitt Middle School is graded C+ by allk12, scoring above 43% of Massachusetts public middle schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Middlesex County has these Census figures: median household income is about $130,847, roughly 60% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 5%. The public schools of Middlesex County number 386 and enroll about 215,896.
The school nearest to John W. McDevitt Middle School is Thomas R Plympton Elementary School, at a distance of about 0.6 miles. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles.
Its location is classified as City: Small by the National Center for Education Statistics.
A comparison of 2020-21 and 2024-25 shows enrollment down 8%, from 669 to 618. The ratio was 13.7:1 in 2020-21 and 9.6:1 in 2024-25.
Discussions about John W. McDevitt Middle School may include school safety, transportation, and start times. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Middlesex County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
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
Related schools
Other schools in Waltham
- Waltham Sr HighHigh · 1,791 students
- John F Kennedy MiddleMiddle · 635 students
- Northeast Elementary SchoolElementary · 527 students
- Douglas MacArthur Elementary SchoolElementary · 475 students
- William F. Stanley Elementary SchoolElementary · 381 students
- Henry Whittemore Elementary SchoolElementary · 372 students
Other schools in Waltham
- Waltham Sr HighHigh · 1,791 students
- John F Kennedy MiddleMiddle · 635 students
- Northeast Elementary SchoolElementary · 527 students
- Douglas MacArthur Elementary SchoolElementary · 475 students
- William F. Stanley Elementary SchoolElementary · 381 students
- Henry Whittemore Elementary SchoolElementary · 372 students
Nearby schools
- Thomas R Plympton Elementary School0.6 mi · 357
- Henry Whittemore Elementary School0.9 mi · 372
- Dual Language School1.1 mi · 222
- Waltham Valor High School1.1 mi · 49
- James Fitzgerald Elementary School1.2 mi · 350
- William F. Stanley Elementary School1.2 mi · 381
Frequently asked questions
About John W. McDevitt Middle SchoolHow many students attend John W. McDevitt Middle School?
John W. McDevitt Middle School enrolls approximately 618 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does John W. McDevitt Middle School serve?
John W. McDevitt Middle School serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John W. McDevitt Middle School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at John W. McDevitt Middle School is approximately 9.6:1 (65 FTE teachers).
How diverse is John W. McDevitt Middle School?
John W. McDevitt Middle School reports a student body of 23% White, 62% Hispanic, 7% Black, 4% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees John W. McDevitt Middle School?
John W. McDevitt Middle School is overseen by Waltham in Middlesex County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.