The top reported proficiency rate is 34% in Math. The lowest is 33% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Walsh Middle
Walsh Middle is one of three middle schools in Framingham, serving grades six through eight in a district that recently restructured its grade configurations. The school sits in the MetroWest region, roughly twenty miles west of downtown Boston. Framingham is a mid-sized city with a mixed suburban and commercial character, anchored by major corporate headquarters such as Bose, Staples, and TJX, and retail corridors along Route 9. The city has a large Brazilian American population and a diversified economic base that includes Framingham State University, MassBay Community College, and MetroWest Medical Center. Housing in the area is expensive, reflecting the broader Greater Boston market, and the city’s cost of living is well above the national average.
Walsh enrolls an even spread of students across its three grade levels. The student body is predominantly Hispanic and white, with smaller shares of students who are Black, Asian, or of two or more races. The school’s free-or-reduced-price lunch data is not available in the records reviewed, and neither are counts for students with disabilities or English learners, which means a parent may want to ask the school directly about the level of economic diversity and supports for special populations. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and Title I status is not reported.
On the 2024-25 NextGen MCAS assessments, Walsh’s proficiency rates across all tested subjects cluster in the low- to mid-thirties. In English language arts, about a third of students scored at the proficient level or above. In math, the rate was similar. In science, where only eighth graders take the test, proficiency was roughly on par with the other subjects. Social studies, also tested only in eighth grade, showed about the same share of students meeting the bar. Participation rates on all tests were very high, above ninety-eight percent.
When compared with other school districts across Middlesex County, Walsh’s overall proficiency places it in the bottom quartile among the districts that had data to report. That comparison set includes fifty-seven districts out of seventy-five in the county. The school’s own testing history shows a shift over time. In the years before the pandemic, Walsh saw ELA proficiency in the mid-forties to mid-fifties, and math proficiency around half of students. After the pandemic, both subjects declined, with ELA dropping to the high twenties one year before recovering somewhat to the current low thirties, and math settling in the low thirties to mid-thirties range. No graduation rate is reported because Walsh serves only middle grades.
The school’s program offerings are not detailed in the data provided, so there is no information available about elective courses, arts, athletics, or special academic pathways. On civil rights and discipline, the data is similarly absent. A parent considering Walsh would want to inquire about what enrichment and support programs the school runs, and about how the school addresses the needs of the diverse student population it serves.
The district itself recently implemented a lasting structural change. Starting in the 2022-2023 school year, Framingham moved fifth grade from elementary to middle school, shifting to a K-4 and 5-8 configuration. Walsh now serves only grades six through eight, meaning it is not affected by that change in the same way the elementary schools and the district’s other middle schools may be. Families coming into the district should confirm feeder patterns, as the shift changed which elementary schools send students to which middle schools, including Walsh.
For a family weighing options in Framingham, Walsh presents a school where academic proficiency on state assessments is below the middle of the pack among Middlesex County districts. The school serves a very diverse student body and sits in a city with strong employment and cultural amenities but high housing costs. A parent would want to have a direct conversation with the school about special education services, English learner supports, and the range of academic and extracurricular offerings available to middle schoolers, since those details are not captured in the available data.
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