Thomas Blake Middle, Medfield MA

Original Research by School Decision on Thomas Blake Middle

Thomas Blake Middle serves grades six through eight in Medfield, a largely residential suburb roughly seventeen miles southwest of Boston. The school is a single regular public middle school within the Medfield district, and its academic performance places it among the stronger middle schools in Norfolk County.

On the most recent state assessments, students posted proficiency rates that were comfortably above the county median. The overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades lands the school in the top quartile relative to districts in Norfolk County, a clear strength. Mathematics and English language arts show solid majorities of students meeting or exceeding standards, and science follows a similar pattern. Eighth graders taking the social studies assessment performed at an especially high level, though the test had a cut-score change that makes trend comparisons uncertain. Looking back over recent years, proficiency rates for both math and ELA have stayed within a roughly stable range, with the typical recovery after pandemic disruption seen in many Massachusetts schools.

The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic, Asian, Black, and multiracial students. Enrollment is roughly evenly distributed across the three middle-grade levels, about what one would expect for a community of Medfield’s size. The school reported no data for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education identification, or English learner status. A parent interested in the availability of support services or the socioeconomic composition of the school may want to inquire directly with the school or district office, as those figures are not public in the available records.

Medfield itself is an affluent community with very high home values, reflecting the desirability of its public schools and its proximity to Boston. The town has a traditional New England center along Main Street, but daily life is largely car-dependent outside that corridor. Schools are spread across separate residential campuses, not clustered downtown. The most notable recent development is the ongoing redevelopment of the former Medfield State Hospital grounds, where the town sold roughly forty-five acres for housing in keeping with a reuse master plan, and a performing arts center is taking shape in the former hospital chapel. A multi-use rail trail opened in 2022, adding recreational options. The housing market is expensive, with a median listing price well above both state and national benchmarks, meaning that families moving to Medfield for the schools face a significant financial commitment.

Because Thomas Blake Middle is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to report and no data on chronic absenteeism. The school also lacks reported information on course access, discipline, or staffing ratios. What is clearly documented is its academic standing: a school where the majority of students consistently meet proficiency expectations and where the overall results rank among the best in the county.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grades 3-867%

School 67% · District 73% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

English language arts

Grades 3-871%

School 71% · District 70% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Science

Grades 3-870%

School 70% · District 72% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 880%

School 80% · District 79% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 45 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

This schoolMedfield, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income31%Higher-income71%40 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income40%Higher-income81%41 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income69%19 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income41%Higher-income74%33 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income66%30 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income73%48 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income38%Higher-income71%33 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income32%Higher-income70%38 pp gap