Walter J. Paton School

Located at 58 Grafton Street, in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, Walter J. Paton School is a close-knit elementary school that enrolls 269 students (grades K through 4), overseen by Shrewsbury. By comparison, Massachusetts's public schools average about 381 students each, so Walter J. Paton School sits 29% leaner than that benchmark.

Shrewsbury comprises 9 schools with combined enrollment of 5,956 students; Walter J. Paton School is among them.

On the student-mix side, Walter J. Paton School reports that White students make up the majority at 59%. Beyond that, the school reports 19% Asian, 10% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, 2% Black. By comparison, Worcester County as a whole is about 73% White, so the school skews visibly less White than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Walter J. Paton School has 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.1:1. The state averages about 12.2:1, putting this campus right in line with peers.

In the broader community, Worcester County reports that median household income runs about $95,939, 40% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Walter J. Paton School is one of 257 public schools in Worcester County (combined enrollment of about 121,490 students).

The closest other public school is Sherwood Middle School, roughly 0.9 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Walter J. Paton School.

The campus sits in a bedroom-community setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Walter J. Paton School has fell 21%, going from 342 students in 2018 to 269 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 69% to 59% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 16.2:1 in 2018 to 12.1:1 today.

On allk12, 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.