Newton MA Elementary & Middle Schools by Neighborhood: 2026 Guide

Newton-guide-villages-districts-home-values-2026) MA Elementary and Middle Schools by Neighborhood: A Complete 2026 Guide

If you're buying a home in Newton specifically because of the public schools, here's the direct answer: Newton Public Schools operates 15 elementary schools (K–5), four middle schools (grades 6–8), and two comprehensive high schools — Newton North and Newton South — all within one unified district. Every neighborhood in Newton's 13 villages feeds into this single district, meaning the overall academic baseline is consistently strong regardless of which village you choose. That said, the specific elementary school your address is zoned for matters enormously to many buyers — and it absolutely affects home prices. Here's what 29 years of selling homes in Newton has taught me about how the school map really works.

— Sarina Steinmetz, Sales Vice President, William Raveis Real Estate, Newton

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Newton Public Schools: The Big Picture

Newton Public Schools (NPS) enrolls approximately 11,632 students across 23 schools, with a student-teacher ratio of 10:1 — among the lowest in Massachusetts. According to Niche.com, 71% of NPS students are proficient in math and 68% in reading, well above the Massachusetts state averages. The district is consistently rated one of the top public school systems in Greater Boston.

The grade structure is straightforward:

• •Elementary: Kindergarten through Grade 5 (15 schools)
• •Middle: Grades 6–8 (4 schools: Bigelow, Charles E. Brown, F.A. Day, Oak Hill)
• •High School: Grades 9–12 (Newton North and Newton South)

  According to U.S. News & World Report, Newton South High School ranks 24th in Massachusetts and Newton North ranks 35th — both offer extensive Advanced Placement coursework and strong college-readiness programming.

  For a broader comparison of how NPS stacks up against Lexington, Brookline, and Wellesley, see our Newton MA Schools Guide: Districts, Zones & Home Values.

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  The 15 Elementary Schools: Mapped to Newton's Villages

  This is where the nuance lives. Newton's elementary school boundaries do not map perfectly to village lines — and that's a source of confusion for almost every buyer I work with. Below is a practical guide to which schools serve which neighborhoods.

  Newton Centre & Chestnut Hill

Bowen Elementary School (280 Cypress St, Newton Centre) is the anchor school for much of Newton Centre. Bowen earns an 8/10 on GreatSchools.org and an A grade from Niche, with math proficiency at 62% and reading proficiency at 62% — solid performance in a competitive district. Homes in the Bowen zone, particularly near Crystal Lake and the Newton Centre Green Line stop, carry a meaningful premium over comparable homes in less sought-after zones.

Chestnut Hill addresses may also be zoned for Mason-Rice Elementary depending on the specific street. Mason-Rice is one of the district's most consistently high-performing schools and is located near the Newton-Brookline line.

Newton Highlands

Countryside Elementary School (191 Dedham St, Newton Highlands) is a standout. Countryside earns an 8/10 on GreatSchools.org with math and reading proficiency both at 67% — among the highest in the district. Homes in the Countryside zone in Newton Highlands tend to move quickly and command strong prices. This is one of the village-school combinations I point buyers to when they ask me where strong school-zone alignment and relative value intersect.

West Newton & Newtonville

Families in West Newton and Newtonville are primarily zoned for Zervas Elementary, Williams Elementary, and parts of Horace Mann Elementary. West Newton's walkable village center — with the Commuter Rail stop and a vibrant restaurant scene — combined with these schools makes the neighborhood extremely competitive. Zervas in particular has a loyal following among parents.

Waban & Newton Highlands (Southern)

Angier Elementary School serves a large portion of Waban, one of Newton's quietest and most residential villages. Angier is well-regarded within the district. Waban homes are also zoned to feed into Oak Hill Middle School, which serves southern Newton villages and is the fourth middle school in the NPS system.

Auburndale & Newton Upper Falls

Families here are typically zoned for Cabot Elementary or Ward Elementary, depending on street location. These schools serve the more westerly villages of Newton and feed primarily into F.A. Day Middle School.

Newton Corner & Nonantum

Lincoln-Eliot Elementary and Franklin Elementary serve Newton's eastern villages closest to Watertown and Boston. Burr Elementary serves portions of Nonantum as well. These neighborhoods offer some of Newton's more accessible price points while still sitting within the NPS district.

Newton Centre & Newton Highlands (Overlap)

Peirce Elementary and Underwood Elementary also serve overlapping zones in central Newton. Underwood is frequently cited by Niche and PublicSchoolReview.com as among the top-ranked elementary schools in the district on combined math and reading proficiency.

Memorial Spaulding

Memorial Spaulding Elementary serves portions of Newton near the Charles River and is another consistently well-reviewed school within NPS.

> Important: Elementary school boundaries in Newton are set by the district and can change. Always verify your specific address's school assignment directly with Newton Public Schools at newton.k12.ma.us before making a purchase decision. I always tell my clients: confirm the zone with the district, not just Zillow.

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Newton's Four Middle Schools (Grades 6–8)

All Newton students leave their elementary school after Grade 5 and enter one of four middle schools. The middle school you feed into is determined by your elementary school zone — not your village directly.

| Middle School | Primary Elementary Feeder Schools | High School Pathway | |---|---|---| | Bigelow Middle School | Bowen, Countryside, Mason-Rice, Peirce, Underwood, Zervas | Newton South | | Charles E. Brown Middle School | Angier, Ward, Williams | Newton South | | F.A. Day Middle School | Cabot, Horace Mann, Lincoln-Eliot, Memorial Spaulding | Newton North | | Oak Hill Middle School | Burr, Franklin, Ward (portions) | Newton North |

Bigelow Middle School (grades 6–8) is one of the most well-regarded middle schools in the district. It feeds into Newton South High School, which is ranked slightly higher than Newton North by U.S. News. This is a factor I see buyers consciously account for — particularly those purchasing in Newton Centre, Newton Highlands, and Chestnut Hill.

Charles E. Brown Middle School and F.A. Day Middle School both offer strong academic programs, extensive arts and music, and competitive athletics. All four middle schools participate in the district-wide music and performing arts programs that Newton is known for.

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Programs of Excellence Across Newton Public Schools

What distinguishes NPS beyond test scores is the breadth of programming available at every level:

- Advanced coursework: Both Newton North and Newton South offer 20+ AP courses. Students can take college-level classes at the high school level across STEM, humanities, and arts.

• •Music & performing arts: NPS has a nationally recognized music program. String instruction begins in elementary school; by middle school, students can participate in orchestra, band, and chorus. Newton's high school theater productions draw audiences from across Greater Boston.
• •Visual arts: Studio art, ceramics, and digital media are woven through the K–12 curriculum.
• •Athletics: Both Newton North and Newton South compete at the varsity, JV, and freshman levels in 30+ sports. The rivalry between the two high schools — particularly in football and basketball — is one of Newton's great civic traditions.
• •Special education & inclusion: NPS runs integrated inclusion programs across all schools and has dedicated SPED coordinators at the building level.
• •World languages: Spanish and French instruction typically begins at the elementary level; Mandarin is available at the high school.

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  How School Zones Affect Newton Home Values

  In my experience — with over $590 million in career sales, much of it in Newton — school zone is one of the top three factors driving Newton home prices, alongside walkability and proximity to the Green Line.

  Here's what I see in practice:

  - Bigelow zone homes (Newton Centre, Newton Highlands, Chestnut Hill) consistently command a 5–10% premium over otherwise comparable homes just outside the zone.

• •Countryside zone in Newton Highlands is one of the most in-demand combinations in the city — strong school metrics plus relatively accessible entry prices compared to Newton Centre proper.
• •Homes zoned to Newton South (via Bigelow or Brown middle school) tend to trade at a slight premium over Newton North feeder zones, reflecting Newton South's slightly higher U.S. News ranking — though both high schools are excellent.
• •The effect is most pronounced for single-family homes in the $1.2M–$2.2M range, where buyers are almost universally factoring school assignment into their offer strategy.

  If you're trying to understand exactly what your home is worth in a specific school zone — or what you can expect to pay to get into a particular zone — reach out for a home valuation before you start touring. Knowing the zone-adjusted value makes a real difference in offer strategy.

  For more on what drives Newton home prices broadly, see why Newton MA is one of the best places to live near Boston.

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  A Note on Boundaries: Always Verify

  Newton's school boundaries are redrawn periodically. As recently as the past few years, the district has studied boundary adjustments to balance enrollment across schools. A home that is currently in the Countryside zone or the Bigelow feeder zone may not remain there indefinitely. I always advise buyers to:

  1. Confirm their address's school assignment at newton.k12.ma.us

2. Ask the district about any pending boundary studies 3. Consider how flexible they are if the zone changes after purchase

This is especially important in transitional neighborhoods where two school zones meet — a single block can sometimes mean a different elementary school.

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Comparing Newton vs. Nearby Districts

Newton is often compared to Brookline, Lexington, and Needham by buyers doing their research. Here's a quick context-setting summary:

- Brookline Public Schools (6,948 students, 13 schools per GreatSchools.org) is structured differently — Brookline uses a K–8 model for most of its schools (Baker, Pierce, Driscoll, Lawrence, Runkle, Lincoln schools each span K–8), with students transitioning directly to Brookline High School for grades 9–12. This means there's no separate middle school transition — a meaningful quality-of-life difference for many families. Brookline home prices are generally higher than Newton's, partly reflecting this structure and the proximity to Boston.

• •Lexington Public Schools is another frequent comparison and runs a more traditional K–5 / 6–8 / 9–12 structure similar to Newton's. See our Newton MA Villages & Neighborhoods guide for a full comparison.
• •Needham, Wellesley, and Natick all run strong districts but at different price points and commute profiles.

  For other strong suburban school districts worth exploring in MetroWest, our Southborough MA neighborhood and schools guide is a good resource.

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  The Bottom Line for Buyers

  Newton's school system is genuinely excellent at every level. The 15 elementary schools all operate within one strong district, so the differences between them are at the margin — not the cliff-edge differences you might see in other metros. That said, the Bigelow/Newton South pipeline and the Countryside and Mason-Rice elementary zones are the most consistently in-demand, and pricing reflects that.

  If you're navigating a Newton home search with school zone as a priority, Zev and I have spent decades learning these boundaries intimately. We know which streets sit exactly on zone lines, which zones are more stable, and how to structure an offer in a competitive school-zone bidding situation.

  Book a consultation with our team — no pressure, just clarity. We'll help you map your priorities to the right neighborhood and the right home.

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  Sarina Steinmetz is Sales Vice President at William Raveis Real Estate in Newton, MA, with 29+ years of experience and $590M+ in career sales. Her son and partner Zev Steinmetz brings a finance and market analysis background to every transaction. Reach Sarina at 617.610.0207 or Zev at 617.335.2019.