Brookline, MA - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Brookline

The Public Schools of Brookline serve the town of Brookline, a dense, high-cost community bordering Boston. Housing values and rents in the district place it well above state and national benchmarks; even by Massachusetts standards, the cost of entry is steep, and rent consumes a large share of a typical household’s income. The housing market in the surrounding county is active, with homes selling relatively quickly, though median listing prices have eased slightly from a year ago. This is not a low-cost area, and the financial realities of living here are a central part of the context for the schools.

On state assessments in the 2024-25 school year, Brookline students turned in rates of proficiency that placed the district in the top quarter among Norfolk County’s districts. Across the tested grades—math, English language arts, science, and social studies—the share of students scoring proficient or above was consistently strong, with the weakest subject still well above the county median. The district’s overall proficiency index of roughly seven out of ten puts it alongside the highest-performing public systems in the region. That said, chronic absenteeism ran somewhat higher than the county midpoint, a soft spot a parent may want to discuss further with the school. Per-pupil current spending was in the upper range among county districts, a reflection of the area’s wealth and the community’s investment in its schools.

Brookline runs from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade with an enrollment of roughly seven thousand students. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse: about half of students are white, more than a fifth are Asian, roughly one in eight are Hispanic, and smaller shares are Black, multiracial, or Native American. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals was not reported, which is an unusual gap in the data. Similarly, data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available from the source used here. That absence does not mean those populations are small, only that the district’s civil rights and outcomes file was not present in this dataset, so a parent should ask directly about special education and language support services.

The district operates a range of elementary, middle, and high school buildings, including a single comprehensive high school. The high school’s graduation rate was not reported in the data examined here, so there is no current figure to characterize. Because the district serves high school grades, the missing rate is a genuine gap rather than a grade-band issue. The same applies to program offerings such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or career and technical education pathways; we looked for them in the available material and found little, so we leave those questions for the district to answer.

A major development on the horizon could change the community’s shape. In May 2026, Brookline’s Town Meeting approved a new zoning district for the Chestnut Hill area, clearing the way for a large mixed-use redevelopment of an office park. The plans include apartments, condos, a hotel, medical offices, and retail, projected to generate new tax revenue for the town. That revenue has implications for municipal and school budgets, and the additional housing could alter enrollment patterns in the coming years. No district-specific curriculum changes or referendum campaigns surfaced in the search, so the near-term story for schools is more about fiscal capacity and enrollment pressure than about instructional shifts.

For a family considering Brookline, the academic picture is strong and well established—this is a district with high proficiency and a track record of performance among the top in its county. The peer environment is diverse, but the economic profile of the town is notably wealthy, and that shapes both the resources available to schools and the experience of families who live there. The most significant missing piece for a parent making a choice is detail on programs, graduation rates, and support for students with different needs. Those are the questions to raise directly with the district before drawing conclusions.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

7,039

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 12%

Black 6%

White 48%

Asian 22%

Two+ 11%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

29%

73%

Gr 4

33%

71%

Gr 5

24%

72%

Gr 6

42%

77%

Gr 7

42%

81%

Gr 8

49%

80%

Gr 38

36%

75%

Math

Gr 3

28%

76%

Gr 4

31%

72%

Gr 5

29%

72%

Gr 6

42%

78%

Gr 7

42%

86%

Gr 8

47%

80%

Gr 38

37%

77%

Science

Gr 5

28%

78%

Gr 8

38%

72%

Gr 38

33%

75%

Social studies

Gr 8

41%

78%

Schools in this District

13 schools are officially reported under this district.

Brookline High

Edith C Baker

Florida Ruffin Ridley School

Brookline Early Education Program at Beacon

Brookline Early Education Program at Putterham

Brookline Early Education Program at Clark Road

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

1 grade reported

71%

Grades 3-8

English Language Arts

1 grade reported

69%

Grades 3-8

Science

1 grade reported

68%

Grades 3-8

Social Studies

1 grade reported

72%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$1.28M

Year-over-year change+2.0%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$723K to $1.4M

vs. state typical1.94x

vs. national typical3.49x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
02467	Brookline	$1.3M	+2.2%	42.8%
02445	Brookline	$1.4M	+4.7%	37.6%
02446	Brookline	$1.1M	-3.7%	18.9%
02215	Boston	$723K	-0.6%	0.7%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$3,737/mo

Year-over-year change+2.5%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$3,372 to $3,802/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
02467	Brookline	$3,748	+1.8%	42.8%
02445	Brookline	$3,802	+2.8%	37.6%
02446	Brookline	$3,596	+3.3%	18.9%
02215	Boston	$3,372	+3.4%	0.7%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$6,481/mo

Home price / national median income15.3x

Annual rent / national median income53.6%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$2,744/mo

Market Activity: Norfolk County

Median listing price$880,000

Median listing price YoY-9.3%

Median price per sq ft$479

Median days on market24.5 days

Median days on market YoY+16.7%

Active listings1,014

Active listings YoY+2.4%

New listings1,088

New listings YoY+15.7%

Pending listings1,258

Pending listings YoY+482.4%

Hotness: median listing price$899,675

Hotness: median listing price YoY-8.8%

Supply score98.1

Supply score YoY-1.2%

Demand score81.2

Demand score YoY-2.2%

Median listing price (12 months)

Median price per sq ft (12 months)

Median days on market (12 months)

Active listings (12 months)

New listings (12 months)

Pending listings (12 months)

Hotness: median listing price (12 months)

Supply score (12 months)

Demand score (12 months)

Comparison

State typical home value$661,755 (+1.5% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.