Vassal Lane Upper School
Public middle school, grades 6 to 8 · Cambridge, Massachusetts
Vassal Lane Upper School in Cambridge, Massachusetts enrolled 298 students in 2024-25 with 42.5 full-time teachers, 7.0 students per teacher against the Massachusetts middle-school median of 11.5. It was not a Title I school in 2021-22; every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision (2024-25). On the state tests, 43% of its students tested were proficient in reading in 2021-22 and 48% proficient in math in 2022-23 (Massachusetts: 43.7% and 42%).
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 · Title I status CCD 2021-22 · method
Enrollment rose 9% from 2022-23 to 2024-25; full-time teachers held steady
273 students in 2022-23, 258 students in 2023-24, 298 students in 2024-25. Full-time teachers went from 42.7 to 42.5.
The numbers as a table
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 273 | 42.7 | 6.4 |
| 2023-24 | 258 | 43.2 | 6.0 |
| 2024-25 | 298 | 42.5 | 7.0 |
7.0 students per teacher, a lower ratio than 99 of every 100 Massachusetts middle schools
Among the 299 Massachusetts middle schools that reported teachers for 2024-25 the median is 11.5; the national median for middle schools is 14.6. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; the comparison counts schools with a 2024-25 teacher count and a ratio from 3 to 99 (lower values are reporting errors).
One counselor per 145 students in 2021-22
In the 2021-22 civil rights collection Vassal Lane Upper School enrolled 289 students and had 2.0 counselors (full-time equivalent); it reported 0 out-of-school suspensions that year.
- Advanced Placement coursesNone
- Gifted and talented programNo
- Counselors (FTE)2.0, one per 145 of the 289 students enrolled in 2021-22
- Out-of-school suspensions0
- Chronically absent18.3% (2022-23)
Who attends
35.6% of students were White, 27.2% Black, 17.4% Asian in 2024-25.
- White35.6%
- Black27.2%
- Asian17.4%
- Hispanic12.4%
- Two or more races7.0%
- American Indian0.3%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22; chronic absenteeism from EDFacts 2022-23; every count and the counselor ratio are for that school year. Who attends: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, membership by race and ethnicity.
State test results, 2021-22 and 2022-23
The students tested at Vassal Lane Upper School scored proficient or above: 43% in reading in 2021-22 and 48% in math in 2022-23, against 43.7% in reading in 2021-22 and 42% in math in 2022-23 across Massachusetts. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Massachusetts, not across states. ED Data Express holds no district results after 2021-22, so the district column gives its 2021-22 figure.
| Subject and year | This school | Its district | Massachusetts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts, 2021-22 | 43% | 55% | 43.7% |
| Math, 2022-23 | 48% | 49% (2021-22) | 42% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22 and 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express (2021-22 through the Data Rescue Project archive); for 2022-23 ED published math by school and reading only by state: ED shows school and district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Middle schools in Cambridge
4 public middle schools in Cambridge report 2024-25 enrollment; Vassal Lane Upper School is number 2 by size.
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge Street Upper School | 301 | 8.3 | not reported |
| Vassal Lane Upper School | 298 | 7.0 | not reported |
| Rindge Avenue Upper School | 292 | 9.4 | not reported |
| Putnam Avenue Upper School | 283 | 9.0 | not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25.
What to look at next about Vassal Lane Upper School
- Cambridge Street Upper SchoolThe nearest public middle school, 0.3 miles away: 301 students, 8.3 per teacher (2024-25).0.3 mi
- Next Wave Junior HighThe next nearest public middle school, 1.3 miles away: 16 students, 3.1 per teacher (2024-25).1.3 mi
- Compare Vassal Lane Upper School with Cambridge Street Upper SchoolStudents, teachers, meals, test results and who attends, side by side.
- How much Cambridge spends per student$39,949 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (U.S. $16,260), with its revenue sources and teacher pay.$39,949
- The largest public schools in MassachusettsVassal Lane Upper School is the number 263 by size of 300 Massachusetts middle schools open in 2024-25.#263 of 300
- Massachusetts schools by students per teacher7.0 students per teacher here against the Massachusetts median of 11.5 for middle schools.7.0:1
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (locations, enrollment, teachers); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23. Distances are straight lines between the schools' NCES coordinates, not travel routes.
Questions about Vassal Lane Upper School
How many students attend Vassal Lane Upper School?
298 in the 2024-25 school year, according to the NCES Common Core of Data; 273 in 2022-23. It is a middle school in Cambridge, MA.What is the student-teacher ratio at Vassal Lane Upper School?
7.0 students per full-time teacher (2024-25); the Massachusetts median for middle schools is 11.5. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.Is Vassal Lane Upper School a Title I school?
Vassal Lane Upper School was not a Title I school in 2021-22, the last year NCES published school Title I status.How do students at Vassal Lane Upper School do on state tests?
The students tested at Vassal Lane Upper School scored proficient or above: 43% in reading in 2021-22 and 48% in math in 2022-23, against 43.7% in reading in 2021-22 and 42% in math in 2022-23 across Massachusetts. Massachusetts's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23; ED publishes school results as ranges to protect small groups.What district is Vassal Lane Upper School in?
Cambridge, NCES district ID 2503270. The first seven digits of the school's NCES ID 250327002756 are the district's.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23: reading and math proficiency for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: Civil Rights Data Collection School-level files (AP, gifted, counselors, discipline) · 2021-22
District spending on the district page is from the NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23.