The bulletin board for America's public schools. Parents, teachers, students, and staff. One community per school.
Schools›Massachusetts›Waltham
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WALTHAM·NCES 251200001979

Waltham Sr High

554 Lexington Street, Waltham, MA 02452 · (781) 614-2702 · Middlesex County
GRADES 09–12HIGH13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL1,791 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 22% of Massachusetts public high schools
  • CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • DThree-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 high schools

Enrollment
1,791
High
DISTRICT 920 · STATE 777
Student : Teacher
10.4:1
172 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.1:1 · STATE 23.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 943824%
Grade 1044725%
Grade 1145225%
Grade 1244025%
Ungraded141%
Student demographics
61%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 65% · US 70%
White
57432%
DISTRICT 34% · STATE 51% · US 43%
Hispanic
93852%
DISTRICT 49% · STATE 26% · US 30%
Black
1619%
DISTRICT 9% · STATE 10% · US 15%
Asian
603%
DISTRICT 5% · STATE 7% · US 6%
Two+
523%
DISTRICT 4% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Native American
10%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
20%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
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
Male
97955%
Female
80945%

Discussions

HotNewTop
+ POST

Test scores

MCAS 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding Expectations
English Language Arts
39.0%
MA avg 43.8% . -8.0pp since 2018
Math
31.0%
MA avg 42.2% . -14.0pp since 2018

What this means: On the MCAS, Massachusetts's statewide test, about 39 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 31 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 8 points since 2018, while math scores are down about 14 points.

MCAS results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2539.0%31.0%
2023-2442.0%37.0%
2022-2348.0%40.0%
2021-2255.0%42.0%
2020-2152.0%40.0%
2018-1947.0%45.0%
% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

Where Waltham Sr High ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn MassachusettsIn Middlesex County
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
31.0%#215 of 327
▼ 3
#53 of 58
▼ 4
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
39.0%#217 of 326
▲ 14
#52 of 58
▲ 2
3-year test score change
ranked biggest drop first
-13.5pp#52 of 315#5 of 58
Enrollment
ranked largest first
1,791#30 of 379#11 of 63
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
10.4:1#92 of 325#13 of 57
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
61.2%#61 of 325#16 of 57
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+10.6%#62 of 133#12 of 27
Ranked against other public high 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 2024-25
Enrollment
1,791
+171 (+11%) vs 2020
+22% since 1990-91, when it was 1,474
Student : Teacher
10.4:1
was 12.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-251,791172.110.4:1N/A
2023-241,81616710.9:1N/A
2022-231,751161.510.8:1N/A
2020-211,62012712.8:1N/A
2017-181,620141.911.4:1N/A
2015-161,47412811.5:1N/A
2010-111,37512810.7:133% (454)
2000-011,497N/AN/A15% (219)
1990-911,474N/AN/AN/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Waltham Sr High.

Since 2017-18: students up 11% (1,620 to 1,791); teachers up 21% (141.9 to 172.1).

About Waltham Sr High

Waltham Sr High is a large high school. Its address is in Waltham, Massachusetts. School enrollment was 1,791 students in 2024-25, in grades 9 through 12. The average among high schools in Massachusetts is roughly 777 students; this school is 131% above that.

Enrollment across the 11 schools in Waltham totals 5,777 students.

At Waltham Sr High, Hispanic students make up 52% of the student body. Next come 32% White, 9% Black, 3% Asian, and 3% multiracial. The county population is about 9% Hispanic. The school's diversity index is 61%, meaning two students picked at random have a 61% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.

A ratio of 10.4:1 comes from the school's 172.1 full-time-equivalent teachers. That is 13.0 students per teacher below the 23.4:1 average for high schools in Massachusetts.

Waltham Sr High is graded C- by allk12, scoring above 22% of Massachusetts public high schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.

Census Bureau estimates for Middlesex County show that the median household income is $130,847, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 60%, and roughly 5% of residents are in poverty. Waltham Sr High is one of 386 public schools in the county.

John F Kennedy Middle is the closest public school, about 0.4 miles away in a straight line. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Waltham Sr High.

On the NCES locale scale, the school is City: Small.

The school enrolled 1,791 students in 2024-25, 171 more than the 1,620 it had in 2020-21. There were fewer students per teacher in 2024-25 (10.4:1) than in 2020-21 (12.8:1).

The discussion area below is open to posts about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.

Middlesex County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
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

School name
Waltham Sr High
District
Waltham
Address
554 Lexington Street, Waltham, MA 02452
Phone
(781) 614-2702
County
Middlesex County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
1,791
Teachers (FTE)
172
Student–teacher ratio
10.4:1
Locale
13-City: Small
NCES ID
251200001979
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Waltham
Other schools in Waltham
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Waltham Sr High
How large is Waltham Sr High?
Waltham Sr High enrolls approximately 1,791 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Waltham Sr High serve?
Waltham Sr High serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many teachers does Waltham Sr High have?
Waltham Sr High employs 172 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 10.4:1.
What is the student diversity at Waltham Sr High?
Student demographics at Waltham Sr High are roughly 32% White, 52% Hispanic, 9% Black, 3% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Is Waltham Sr High public or private?
Waltham Sr High 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.
＋ Post