Hopkinton Middle School and two Hopkinton elementary schools received high rankings statewide in an annual survey of public schools conducted by U.S. News & World Report released this week.

HMS placed seventh statewide for Massachusetts middle schools for 2026. In the elementary school category, Hopkins School ranked 11th while Elmwood School was 21st out of 1,542 schools in the state.

U.S. News & World Report’s rankings use the same methodology for all included grade levels, according to the report. For each state, schools were assessed on their shares of students who were proficient or above proficient in their mathematics and reading/language arts state assessments. Half of the formula assessed the scores themselves, while the other half incorporated the test results in the context of socioeconomic demographics. The publication analyzed data for 81,046 pre-K, elementary and middle schools nationwide.

In an email to the Independent Tuesday, school superintendent Evan Bishop praised the results as the result of collaboration among students, staff and families.

“These rankings really reflect the collective effort across our schools,” stated Bishop. “The dedication of our staff, the hard work and curiosity of our students, and the unwavering support of our families all contribute to these results.

“At every level, you see a shared commitment to excellence, whether it’s the strong sense of community, the focus on growth and engagement, or the deep collaboration and innovation,” he continued. “I’m incredibly proud of how our schools work together to ensure each student is both challenged and supported.”

HMS accomplishments

HMS had an overall score of 98.74/100 in this survey. The school’s strengths showed in its testing results. Out of 478 schools, the middle school ranked seventh in math proficiency and tied for 15th in reading proficiency. The survey noted that the school performed “well above expectations.”

At HMS, 78% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 74% scored at or above that level for reading. These percentages are fairly consistent with the district-wide percentages. Overall, 75% of students in the district tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 79% tested at or above that level for math.

The middle school outperformed the statewide average. In Massachusetts, 42% of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 41% tested at or above that level for math.

Hopkins highlights

Hopkins, which serves students in grades 4-5, had an overall score of 98.94/100. Out of 944 schools ranked in Massachusetts, the school came in 23rd in reading proficiency. It tied for 16th in math proficiency. Hopkins also performed “well above average,” according to the survey.

In math, 81% of students scored at or above the proficient level. In reading, 76% scored at or above that level. These percentages bested the state average by a wide margin.

Elmwood excellence

Elmwood, attended by students in grades 2-3, had an overall score of 97.88/100. The school had 78% of students score at or above the proficient level for math, while 75% scored at or above that level for reading.

Reading performance at the Elmwood was categorized as “somewhat above expectations,” tying for 26th place in that category. In math proficiency, the school was tied for 22nd place, hitting “well above expectations.” These scores exceeded the state average.

Common factors

The student-teacher ratios at these schools were fairly consistent with other high-ranked schools. The student-teacher ratio for Hopkins is 15:1, while the other two schools have a 14:1 student-teacher ratio.

The ratio of female to male students is nearly equal at HMS, where 50% of the students identified as female and 49% identified as male. At the Hopkins, the ratio of female to male students is 49% to 51%. Demographics at Elmwood show that 44% of the students are female and 56% are male.