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Waltham Public Schools, Massachusetts, elections

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Waltham Public Schools
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District details
School board members: 7
Students: 5,709 (2023-2024)
Schools: 10 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

Waltham Public Schools is a school district in Massachusetts (Middlesex County). During the 2024 school year, 5,709 students attended one of the district's 10 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Jump to a section:
Elections School board Location Budget Academic performance Students Staff Schools

Elections

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Waltham Public Schools school board, At-large

General election

General election for Waltham Public Schools school board, At-large (3 seats)

Incumbent Margaret Donnelly, Jane Gately, and incumbent Edmund Tarallo defeated incumbent John Graceffa and Marisa Diamond in the general election for Waltham Public Schools school board, At-large on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
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Margaret Donnelly (Nonpartisan)
 
22.1
 
5,326
✔
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Jane Gately (Nonpartisan)
 
21.6
 
5,194
✔
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Edmund Tarallo (Nonpartisan)
 
21.4
 
5,152
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John Graceffa (Nonpartisan)
 
20.7
 
4,976
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Marisa Diamond (Nonpartisan)
 
14.0
 
3,381
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
38

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 24,067
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About the district

School board

Waltham Public Schools consists of seven members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameSeatYear assumed officeYear term ends
Elizabeth AlJammalAt Large
Debbie ColemanAt Large
John Frassica IIAt Large
Jeannette McCarthyAt Large
James ZanghiAt Large
Margaret DonnellyAt Large2016
Edmund TaralloAt Large2016

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District map

School district map

Overlapping state house districts

Waltham Public Schools
Office NameCurrent OfficeholderParty% School District Covered% Other District Covered
Massachusetts House of Representatives 9th Middlesex DistrictThomas StanleyDemocratic Party 81% 100%
Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Middlesex DistrictJohn LawnDemocratic Party 19% 55%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $11,725,000 $2,133 6%
Local: $113,272,000 $20,610 60%
State: $62,385,000 $11,351 33%
Total: $187,382,000 $34,094
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $361,572,000 $65,788
Total Current Expenditures: $146,817,000 $26,713
Instructional Expenditures: $90,000,000 $16,375 25%
Student and Staff Support: $22,969,000 $4,179 6%
Administration: $11,518,000 $2,095 3%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $22,330,000 $4,062 6%
Total Capital Outlay: $178,527,000 $32,483
Construction: $63,657,000 $11,582
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $436,000 $79
Interest on Debt: $28,752,000 $5,231

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2021-2022 38 65-69 20-24 19 PS 50-54 58
2020-2021 31 60-64 15-19 14 PS 45-49 49
2018-2019 47 75-79 30-34 30 50-59 62
2017-2018 47 75-79 30-34 32 PS 60-69 60
2016-2017 45 65-69 30-34 30 PS 55-59 56
2015-2016 56 80-84 45-49 37 PS 60-64 69
2014-2015 51 70-74 35-39 34 PS 55-59 63
2013-2014 52 70-74 35-39 33 PS 50-54 65
2012-2013 55 70-74 45-49 37 PS 55-59 66
2011-2012 53 75-79 30-34 34 >=50 50-54 65
2010-2011 53 70-74 35-39 37 PS 55-59 64

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2021-2022 40 60-64 30-34 23 PS 60-64 58
2020-2021 43 65-69 30-34 25 PS 65-69 61
2018-2019 51 65-69 35-39 35 50-59 67
2017-2018 52 75-79 40-44 37 PS 60-69 65
2016-2017 52 65-69 45-49 38 PS 65-69 63
2015-2016 69 85-89 60-64 52 PS 80-84 81
2014-2015 67 75-79 55-59 51 PS 80-84 78
2013-2014 67 75-79 55-59 50 PS 75-79 78
2012-2013 67 70-74 65-69 49 PS 80-84 76
2011-2012 67 80-84 50-54 51 >=50 75-79 77
2010-2011 69 80-84 60-64 54 PS 75-79 78

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2021-2022 81 >=50 >=90 70-74 PS 85-89
2020-2021 82 >=80 80-89 70-74 >=50 90-94
2019-2020 81 >=80 80-89 65-69 PS >=50 90-94
2018-2019 82 >=80 >=90 65-69 PS >=50 90-94
2017-2018 82 >=80 80-89 65-69 PS >=50 90-94
2016-2017 84 >=80 80-89 65-69 >=50 90-94
2015-2016 85 >=80 >=80 70-74 >=50 90-94
2014-2015 83 >=50 70-79 75-79 >=50 85-89
2013-2014 85 >=80 70-79 70-74 PS >=50 90-94
2012-2013 81 >=80 80-89 65-69 PS 85-89
2011-2012 82 >=80 80-89 65-69 >=50 85-89
2010-2011 78 40-59 75-79 60-64 PS 85-89

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 5,709 0.1
2022-2023 5,703 3.6
2021-2022 5,496 -0.2
2020-2021 5,507 -4.2
2019-2020 5,738 1.8
2018-2019 5,633 0.6
2017-2018 5,600 1.2
2016-2017 5,533 1.4
2015-2016 5,455 3.7
2014-2015 5,254 1.9
2013-2014 5,155 1.1
2012-2013 5,098 2.0
2011-2012 4,994 4.0
2010-2011 4,796 0.7
2009-2010 4,763 0.3
2008-2009 4,751 0.5
2007-2008 4,725 -2.3
2006-2007 4,836 2.2
2005-2006 4,731 1.4
2004-2005 4,666 0.0
2003-2004 4,667 -3.4
2002-2003 4,825 -1.3
2001-2002 4,889 -3.7
2000-2001 5,068 -2.3
1999-2000 5,187 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Waltham Public Schools (%) Massachusetts K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.1 0.2
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 5.1 7.4
Black 8.0 9.6
Hispanic 47.5 25.1
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1
Two or More Races 3.2 4.5
White 36.0 52.8

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Waltham Public Schools had 552.30 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 10.34.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 8.00
Kindergarten: 27.24
Elementary: 350.11
Secondary: 166.95
Total: 552.30

Waltham Public Schools employed 16.50 district administrators and 26.00 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 16.50
District Administrative Support: 27.50
School Administrators: 26.00
School Administrative Support: 22.00
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 158.98
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 8.00
Total Guidance Counselors: 13.00
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 5.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 8.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 9.55
Library/Media Support: 9.00
Student Support Services: 80.60
Other Support Services: 47.45

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

Waltham Public Schools operates 10 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Douglas Macarthur Elementary School475KG-5
Henry Whittemore Elementary School386KG-5
James Fitzgerald Elementary School354KG-5
John F Kennedy Middle6286-8
John W. Mcdevitt Middle School6046-8
Northeast Elementary School500PK-5
Thomas R Plympton Elementary School352KG-5
Waltham Public Schools Dual Language Program218KG-5
Waltham Sr High1,8169-12
William F. Stanley Elementary School376PK-5


About school boards

Education legislation in Massachusetts

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Massachusetts
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External links

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    • Footnotes

    1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    2. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2021-22 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed October 18, 2025
    3. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    5. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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