U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings, has released the 2025 Best Middle Schools rankings. The report includes more than 79,000 public schools that are ranked at the state and district level.

The 2025 Best Elementary and Best Middle Schools rankings are based on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. For district-level rankings, at least two of the top performing schools must rank in the top 75% of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for district-level recognition.
 
“The 2025 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings offer parents a way to evaluate how schools are providing a high-quality education and preparing students for future success,” said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for Education at U.S. News. “The data empowers families and communities to advocate for their children’s education. Research continues to indicate that how students perform academically at these early grade levels is a big factor in their success in high school and beyond.”
 
The rankings methodology focused on state assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts, while accounting for student background and achievement in core subjects. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.

Here is how Fall River middle schools fared in the city and the state, according to U.S. News & World Report:

1. Henry Lord Community School #218 in Massachusetts Middle Schools

At Henry Lord Community School, 18% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 18% scored at or above that level for reading. The school’s minority student enrollment is 60%. The student-teacher ratio is 13:1, which is the same as that of the district. The student population is made up of 48% female students and 52% male students. There are 63 equivalent full-time teachers and 2 full-time school counselors.

2. Matthew J. Kuss Middle #240 in Massachusetts Middle Schools

At Matthew J Kuss Middle, 20% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 25% scored at or above that level for reading. The school’s minority student enrollment is 56%. The student-teacher ratio is 13:1, which is the same as that of the district. The student population is made up of 48% female students and 52% male students. There are 52 equivalent full-time teachers and 4 full-time school counselors.

3. John J Doran #259 in Massachusetts Middle Schools

At John J Doran, 19% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 21% scored at or above that level for reading. The school’s minority student enrollment is 59%. The student-teacher ratio is 14:1, which is worse than that of the district. The student population is made up of 47% female students and 53% male students. There are 37 equivalent full-time teachers and 2 full-time school counselors.

4. Morton Middle #312 in Massachusetts Middle Schools

At Morton Middle, 15% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 26% scored at or above that level for reading. The school’s minority student enrollment is 46%. The student-teacher ratio is 14:1, which is worse than that of the district. The student population is made up of 46% female students and 54% male students. There are 49 equivalent full-time teachers and 6 full-time school counselors.

5. Talbot Innovation School #365-487 in Massachusetts Middle Schools

At Talbot Innovation School, 11% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 12% scored at or above that level for reading. The school’s minority student enrollment is 60%. The student-teacher ratio is 10:1, which is better than that of the district. The student population is made up of 51% female students and 49% male students. There are 52 equivalent full-time teachers and 4 full-time school counselors.

Resiliency Preparatory Academy (No ranking)

At Resiliency Preparatory Academy, 10% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 10% scored at or above that level for reading. The school’s minority student enrollment is 67%. The student-teacher ratio is 9:1, which is better than that of the district. The student population is made up of 38% female students and 62% male students. There are 21 equivalent full-time teachers and 4 full-time school counselors.

Stone School (No ranking)

At Stone Pk-12 School, 10% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 10% scored at or above that level for reading. The school’s minority student enrollment is 45%. The student-teacher ratio is 4:1, which is better than that of the district. The student population is made up of 31% female students and 69% male students. There are 17 equivalent full-time teachers and 1 full-time school counselor.