Three Longmeadow elementary schools ranked among state’s best

Date: 2/12/2015

LONGMEADOW – Three elementary schools in town have been ranked among the best in Massachusetts by the 2015 Niche Best Elementary Schools in Massachusetts, including Blueberry Hill Elementary with a 82nd place ranking

The other two schools are Center Elementary School ranked 86 on the list and Wolf Swamp Road Elementary School, which ranks 133 out of 40,403 elementary schools throughout the Commonwealth.

Superintendent of Schools Marie Doyle told Reminder Publications the district is in the top 5 percent in the state. Longmeadow was also the only district in the western part of the state to have an elementary school ranked in the top 100.

“While we believe we’re doing an excellent job inside it’s always nice to have outside data that confirms that we’re being successful in our endeavors,” she added.

Doyle said Niche takes a look at academics but also asks for opinion feedback on schools from parents, students, graduates, and staff.

“I did look at some of the questions,” she noted. “They ask about everything from food to quality of teachers, facilities, [and] academic offerings.”

According to Niche, 4.6 million opinions from 280,000 students and parents were complied for the statistics. A high ranking indicates that a high ranking designates that a school  is “an exceptional academic institution with a diverse set of high-achieving students and faculty, and the students are very happy with their experiences.”

The top five ranked elementary schools are all located in Lexington, the listing shows.

“It speaks volumes,” Doyle said. “We were ranked with Lexington and Weston and Wayland and all the top districts in the state. I’m very proud of our work but we're frequently ranked with MetroWest communities and this report again has Longmeadow standing out as an excellent school district.”

After school activities such as music and sports programs would also factor into rankings in terms of students leaving with a happy experience, she noted.

“I think the community supports the schools, number one,” Doyle added. “I think that both parents and staff have high expectations for students and I think that our students are extremely hard working and dedicated to doing well.”

In the past the district has also achieved top rankings in Newsweek, the Boston Globe, and also recently in the Daily Beast, which ranked Longmeadow High School 308th out of 760 top high schools throughout the country.

For more information about Niche’s rating visit www.k12.niche.com/rankings/public-elementary-schools/best-overall/methodology.