Enrollment
186
Elementary
DISTRICT 311 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NEWTON·NCES 250861001369
John Ward
10 Dolphin Rd, Newton Centre, MA 02459 · (617) 559-6450 · Middlesex County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL186 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
8.8:1
21 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.3:1 · STATE 12.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
Community
0
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
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 19 | 10% |
| Grade 1 | 44 | 24% |
| Grade 2 | 21 | 11% |
| Grade 3 | 30 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 38 | 20% |
| Grade 5 | 34 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (19) is 44% smaller than its 5th grade class (34).
Student demographics
57%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 65% · 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
79.0%
MA avg 43.8% . +8.0pp since 2016
Math
85.0%
MA avg 42.2% . +10.0pp since 2016
What this means: On the MCAS, Massachusetts's statewide test, about 79 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 85 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 8 points since 2016, while math scores are up about 10 points.
MCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 79.0% | 85.0% |
| 2023-24 | 66.0% | 75.0% |
| 2022-23 | 76.0% | 71.0% |
| 2021-22 | 77.0% | 83.0% |
| 2020-21 | 82.0% | 75.0% |
| 2018-19 | 79.0% | 85.0% |
| 2017-18 | 78.0% | 81.0% |
| 2016-17 | 71.0% | 75.0% |
% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where John Ward ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Massachusetts | In Middlesex County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 85.0% | #3 of 920 ▲ 53 | #3 of 207 ▲ 29 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 79.0% | #16 of 920 ▲ 64 | #11 of 207 ▲ 32 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +2.0pp | #392 of 901 | #88 of 206 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 186 | #954 of 1,086 | #224 of 238 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -39.8% | #9 of 602 | #2 of 141 |
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 2024-25Enrollment
186
-30 (-14%) vs 2020
-50% since 1990-91, when it was 372
Student : Teacher
8.8:1
was 13.5:1
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 | 186 | 21.1 | 8.8:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 212 | 21.7 | 9.8:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 194 | 20.1 | 9.7:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 216 | 16 | 13.5:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 309 | 24 | 12.9:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 304 | 23 | 13.2:1 | N/A |
| 2010-11 | 269 | 14 | 19.2:1 | 3% (9) |
| 2000-01 | 325 | N/A | N/A | 3% (10) |
| 1990-91 | 372 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for John Ward.
Since 2017-18: students down 40% (309 to 186); teachers down 12% (24 to 21.1).
About John Ward
John Ward runs as a small elementary school in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. The school serves kindergarten through 5. Enrollment is 186 students. Elementary schools in Massachusetts have about 381 students on average; enrollment here is 51% lower.
John Ward is in Newton, a district with 11,632 students across 22 schools.
White students are 61% of those enrolled at John Ward. Next come 19% Asian, 13% multiracial, and 7% Hispanic. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 57%.
John Ward reports a ratio of 8.8 students per teacher, from 21.1 full-time-equivalent teachers. The school's 8.8:1 compares with an average of 12.2:1 for elementary schools in Massachusetts.
In Middlesex County, home to about 1,638,365 people, the median household earns about $130,847 a year, roughly 60% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Middlesex County number 386, with about 215,896 students.
John Ward is about 0.9 miles from Bigelow Middle, its nearest public school. John Ward has at least 8 other public schools within five miles.
The federal government classifies John Ward's location as City: Small.
The school shrank from 216 students in 2020-21 to 186 in 2024-25. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 13.5:1 to 8.8:1.
You can use this page to share news and ask questions about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
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 Newton
- Newton North HighHigh · 2,096 students
- Newton South HighHigh · 1,898 students
- F A Day MiddleMiddle · 860 students
- Charles E Brown MiddleMiddle · 713 students
- Oak Hill MiddleMiddle · 649 students
- Bigelow MiddleMiddle · 434 students
Other schools in Newton Centre
- Newton South HighHigh · 1,898 students
- Charles E Brown MiddleMiddle · 713 students
- Memorial SpauldingElementary · 342 students
- BowenElementary · 325 students
- Mason-RiceElementary · 321 students
Nearby schools
- Bigelow Middle0.9 mi · 434
- Edison Elementary School1.0 mi · 502
- Underwood1.0 mi · 253
- Lyon K-8 School1.2 mi · 143
- Cabot1.2 mi · 414
- Mason-Rice1.2 mi · 321
Frequently asked questions
About John WardHow large is John Ward?
John Ward enrolls approximately 186 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does John Ward serve?
John Ward serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John Ward?
The student-to-teacher ratio at John Ward is approximately 8.8:1 (21 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at John Ward?
Student demographics at John Ward are roughly 61% White, 7% Hispanic, 19% Asian, 13% Two or more.
What district is John Ward in?
John Ward is part of Newton.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.