Enrollment
298
Middle
DISTRICT 294 · STATE 547
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CAMBRIDGE·NCES 250327002756
Vassal Lane Upper School
158 Spring Street, Cambridge, MA 02141 · (617) 349-6550 · Middlesex County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL298 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
7.0:1
43 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 8.4:1 · STATE 11.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Vassal Lane Upper School→Cambridge Rindge and Latin
Based on grade levels within Cambridge. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MCAS 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
54.0%
MA avg 43.8% . -10.0pp since 2016
Math
51.0%
MA avg 42.2% . -10.0pp since 2016
What this means: On the MCAS, Massachusetts's statewide test, about 54 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 51 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 10 points since 2016, while math scores are down about 10 points.
Source: MCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
298
+17 (+6%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
7.0:1
was 8.3:1
% White
36%
was 43%
% Hispanic
12%
was 9%
% Black
27%
was 26%
% Asian
17%
was 16%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About Vassal Lane Upper School
Located at 158 Spring Street, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Vassal Lane Upper School is a modestly sized 6-8 campus that teaches 298 students (grades 6 through 8), overseen by Cambridge. Enrollment runs roughly 46% below the state mean of about 547.
Vassal Lane Upper School is one of 17 schools operated by Cambridge, a district that works with 7,027 students overall.
In terms of who attends, Vassal Lane Upper School records that the most-represented group is White (36%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school logs 27% Black, 17% Asian, 12% Hispanic, 7% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 67% White, putting the school's mix noticeably less White than the area baseline.
Looking at school resources, Vassal Lane Upper School shows 43 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 7.0:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 11.5:1, putting Vassal Lane Upper School tighter than the state norm the norm.
Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (Middlesex County) records that median household income runs about $130,847, 60% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 5%. In all, Middlesex County runs 386 public schools (combined enrollment of about 215,896 students), of which Vassal Lane Upper School is one.
Kennedy-Longfellow is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.
The school occupies a city-core site.
Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count increased 6%: 281 students in 2018 compared to 298 in 2025. The White share of enrollment contracted from 43% to 36% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 8.3:1 in 2018 to 7.0:1 today.
In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
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 Cambridge
- Cambridge Rindge and LatinHigh · 2,072 students
- Amigos SchoolElementary · 413 students
- King OpenElementary · 391 students
- Graham and ParksElementary · 367 students
- Maria L. BaldwinElementary · 360 students
- Martin Luther King Jr.Elementary · 340 students
Other schools in Cambridge
- Cambridge Rindge and LatinHigh · 2,072 students
- Prospect Hill Academy Charter SchoolCombined · 890 students
- Amigos SchoolElementary · 413 students
- King OpenElementary · 391 students
- Graham and ParksElementary · 367 students
- Maria L. BaldwinElementary · 360 students
Nearby schools
- Kennedy-Longfellow0.0 mi · 215
- Community Charter School of Cambridge0.1 mi · 251
- Cambridge Street Upper School0.3 mi · 301
- King Open0.3 mi · 391
- Fletcher/Maynard Academy0.5 mi · 249
- Cambridgeport0.6 mi · 263
Frequently asked questions
About Vassal Lane Upper SchoolHow many students attend Vassal Lane Upper School?
Vassal Lane Upper School enrolls approximately 298 students in grades 06-08.
Is Vassal Lane Upper School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Vassal Lane Upper School is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vassal Lane Upper School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Vassal Lane Upper School is approximately 7.0:1 (43 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Vassal Lane Upper School?
At Vassal Lane Upper School, the student body is approximately 36% White, 12% Hispanic, 27% Black, 17% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Who oversees Vassal Lane Upper School?
Vassal Lane Upper School is overseen by Cambridge in Middlesex County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.