The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in Science. The lowest is 66% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Pine Hill
Pine Hill is the single elementary school serving Sherborn, a small, semi-rural town roughly eighteen miles southwest of Boston in the MetroWest region. The school enrolls children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, after which students move to Dover-Sherborn Middle School and Dover-Sherborn High School in neighboring Dover. The town itself has no commercial downtown to speak of—its old Town Center holds historic buildings, churches, and a library, but retail and industry are essentially absent. Residents live on large single-family lots served by individual wells and septic systems, and more than a sizable portion of the land is permanently preserved as open space, forest, and active farms.
The student body at Pine Hill is predominantly white, with a modest share of Asian students and smaller numbers of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are English learners are missing from the available records. A parent evaluating fit may wish to ask the school directly about these dimensions of student support.
Academically, Pine Hill performs at a level that places it among the stronger schools in Middlesex County. On the state’s MCAS assessments, the share of students scoring proficient or above is solidly above the midpoint for the county’s districts, landing in the top quartile when overall proficiency is averaged across tested subjects and grades. In recent years, math proficiency has clustered at roughly two-thirds of students, ELA at about seven in ten, and science—tested only in a single grade—around the same high mark. The school’s year-to-year results for English language arts and mathematics show some fluctuation but have stayed within a generally high band over the past decade, with no single-year drop below the majority-proficient mark. Because the school covers only early elementary grades, no graduation rate is reported, and chronic absenteeism data are also absent.
Sherborn’s housing market is expensive by any measure. The typical home value is markedly higher than the statewide median and well above the national benchmark. The median listing price on the market is high, and the supply of homes for sale is tight, with homes often selling quickly. A family looking to buy in Sherborn will find a market dominated by older single-family houses, many dating to the 1700s and 1800s, on large wooded lots. Rental options are very limited, and the town’s growth trajectory is essentially flat—population is near-stagnant, and no major new housing developments are evident. Property taxes are the primary revenue source for town services, and there is no industrial tax base.
This is a school for families who place a premium on strong academic results in a small, rural-feeling town with a historic character and a preserved landscape. The lack of a commercial downtown and the long drives to secondary schools in a neighboring town mean that daily life is car-dependent and quiet. The absence of key demographic and support data is a gap a prospective parent would want to fill with a direct conversation at the school. For those who can afford the housing market and value a high-performing elementary school embedded in an affluent, low-density community, Pine Hill fits that profile.
See more original research from School Decision →