Enrollment
357
Elementary
DISTRICT 383 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WALTHAM·NCES 251200001978
Thomas R Plympton Elementary School
20 Farnsworth Street, Waltham, MA 02451 · (781) 314-5760 · Middlesex County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL357 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 35% of Massachusetts public elementary schools
- CTest 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.
- BThree-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
Student : Teacher
10.1:1
35 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.4:1 · 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 | 58 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 57 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 69 | 19% |
| Grade 3 | 58 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 47 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 68 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (58) is 15% smaller than its 5th grade class (68).
Student demographics
68%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
QUIET COMMUNITY
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START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
MCAS 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
37.0%
MA avg 43.8% . -1.0pp since 2016
Math
36.0%
MA avg 42.2% . -9.0pp since 2016
What this means: On the MCAS, Massachusetts's statewide test, about 37 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 36 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 1 points since 2016, while math scores are down about 9 points.
MCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 37.0% | 36.0% |
| 2023-24 | 28.0% | 28.0% |
| 2022-23 | 37.0% | 40.0% |
| 2021-22 | 30.0% | 37.0% |
| 2020-21 | 42.0% | 35.0% |
| 2018-19 | 49.0% | 51.0% |
| 2017-18 | 45.0% | 52.0% |
| 2016-17 | 38.0% | 45.0% |
% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Thomas R Plympton Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Massachusetts | In Middlesex County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 36.0% | #578 of 920 ▲ 112 | #161 of 207 ▲ 20 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 37.0% | #546 of 920 ▲ 111 | #158 of 207 ▲ 17 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +3.0pp | #347 of 901 | #74 of 206 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 357 | #566 of 1,086 | #150 of 238 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.1:1 | #131 of 938 | #35 of 222 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 68.1% | #101 of 938 | #35 of 222 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -15.4% | #207 of 602 | #46 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
357
-20 (-5%) vs 2020
-11% since 1990-91, when it was 401
Student : Teacher
10.1:1
was 16.4:1
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 | 357 | 35.2 | 10.1:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 352 | 34 | 10.3:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 353 | 32.5 | 10.9:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 377 | 23 | 16.4:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 422 | 39.6 | 10.7:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 431 | 32 | 13.5:1 | N/A |
| 2010-11 | 384 | 31 | 12.4:1 | 39% (151) |
| 2000-01 | 390 | N/A | N/A | 41% (159) |
| 1990-91 | 401 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Thomas R Plympton Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 15% (422 to 357); teachers down 11% (39.6 to 35.2).
About Thomas R Plympton Elementary School
This page covers Thomas R Plympton Elementary School, a mid-sized elementary school in Waltham, Massachusetts. The school has 357 students in 2024-25 across kindergarten through 5.
Waltham enrolls 5,777 students in 11 schools, including Thomas R Plympton Elementary School.
The biggest share of students at Thomas R Plympton Elementary School, 39%, is White. The remaining shares are 38% Hispanic, 13% Black, 5% multiracial, and 4% Asian. Census estimates put the White share of Middlesex County's population at about 67%. The diversity index for Thomas R Plympton Elementary School is 68%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
On staff are 35.2 full-time-equivalent teachers; the student-to-teacher ratio is 10.1:1. Elementary schools in Massachusetts have an average ratio of 12.2:1.
Thomas R Plympton Elementary School earns a C+ on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 35% of Massachusetts public elementary schools.
Looking at the county, Middlesex County, the median household earns about $130,847 a year, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 60%, and about 5% of people live in poverty. Counting Thomas R Plympton Elementary School, Middlesex County has 386 public schools.
The closest school to Thomas R Plympton Elementary School is John W. McDevitt Middle School, located about 0.6 miles away. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Thomas R Plympton Elementary School.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is City: Small.
The school shrank from 377 students in 2020-21 to 357 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 16.4:1; by 2024-25 it was 10.1:1.
Use the discussion section to ask about homework, tutoring, and testing dates at Thomas R Plympton Elementary School. You can also rate the school on this page.
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
- John W. McDevitt Middle SchoolMiddle · 618 students
- Northeast Elementary SchoolElementary · 527 students
- Douglas MacArthur Elementary SchoolElementary · 475 students
- William F. Stanley Elementary SchoolElementary · 381 students
Other schools in Waltham
- Waltham Sr HighHigh · 1,791 students
- John F Kennedy MiddleMiddle · 635 students
- John W. McDevitt Middle SchoolMiddle · 618 students
- Northeast Elementary SchoolElementary · 527 students
- Douglas MacArthur Elementary SchoolElementary · 475 students
- William F. Stanley Elementary SchoolElementary · 381 students
Nearby schools
- John W. McDevitt Middle School0.6 mi · 618
- Waltham Sr High1.0 mi · 1,791
- Waltham Valor High School1.1 mi · 49
- Dual Language School1.1 mi · 222
- William F. Stanley Elementary School1.1 mi · 381
- John F Kennedy Middle1.1 mi · 635
Frequently asked questions
About Thomas R Plympton Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Thomas R Plympton Elementary School?
Thomas R Plympton Elementary School enrolls approximately 357 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Thomas R Plympton Elementary School serve?
Thomas R Plympton Elementary School serves grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas R Plympton Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Thomas R Plympton Elementary School is approximately 10.1:1 (35 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Thomas R Plympton Elementary School?
At Thomas R Plympton Elementary School, the student body is approximately 39% White, 38% Hispanic, 13% Black, 4% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is Thomas R Plympton Elementary School public or private?
Thomas R Plympton Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Waltham.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.