Boston's top-rated public schools are sparse in central Boston. To find the area's top-rated schools you have to get out into the bedroom and suburb communities to the southwest, northwest and north of town. Oh, and don't forget Quincy, off to the southeast.
Highly rated schools are reasonably plentiful, and none of the four clusters of good schools stand out from the others.
Because of this distribution, no single part of Boston earns our recommendation for best area for parents to look to live. Instead, we will use average property rent and school ratings to identify our individual property picks to provide the best value for each grade level.
Viewing school ratings by neighborhood allows us to find the areas with superb overall schools, rather than just identifying one-off instances of an individually exemplary school. Going by average Great School rating, the top neighborhood in Boston is Westwood.
| Neighborhood Rank | Neighborhood | Neighborhood City and State | Avg. School Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westwood | Westwood, MA | 10.0 |
| 2 | Oak Hill | Newton, MA | 8.7 |
| 3 | Brattle | Arlington, MA | 8.3 |
| 4 | Coolidge Corner | Brookline, MA | 8.3 |
| 5 | Bear Hill | Stoneham, MA | 8.0 |
| 6 | South Medford | Medford, MA | 8.0 |
| 7 | Waban | Waban, MA | 8.0 |
| 8 | Wellington | Medford, MA | 8.0 |
| 9 | Montclair | Quincy, MA | 7.3 |
| 10 | North Braintree | Braintree, MA | 7.0 |
Having looked at the best overall neighborhoods, we now look to find the best individual properties near the best schools at the elementary, middle and high school level. Click on any location circle in our interactive maps to pull up info on properties for that location.
| Value Rank | Property Name | Location | Avg. Rent | Avg. School Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avalon at Lexington | Lexington, MA | $2,754 | 10.0 |
| 2 | Katahdin Woods | Lexington, MA | $2,855 | 10.0 |
| 3 | Avalon at Lexington Hills | Lexington, MA | $2,857 | 10.0 |
| 4 | Webster Green | Needham, MA | $2,733 | 9.5 |
| 5 | Avalon Station 250 | Dedham, MA | $2,701 | 9.0 |
| 6 | Waltham Overlook | Waltham, MA | $1,950 | 6.0 |
| 7 | Jefferson At Dedham Station | Dedham, MA | $2,979 | 9.0 |
| 8 | The Amelia | Quincy, MA | $2,684 | 8.0 |
| 9 | West of Chestnut | Quincy, MA | $2,732 | 8.0 |
| 10 | The Royal Belmont | Belmont, MA | $3,504 | 10.0 |
| Value Rank | Property Name | Location | Avg. Rent | Avg. School Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Point at North Quincy | Quincy, MA | $2,222 | 8.0 |
| 2 | Katahdin Woods | Lexington, MA | $2,855 | 10.0 |
| 3 | Barclay on Beacon | Brookline, MA | $3,000 | 10.0 |
| 4 | Webster Green | Needham, MA | $2,733 | 9.0 |
| 5 | Quincy Commons | Quincy, MA | $2,432 | 8.0 |
| 6 | Avalon at Lexington | Lexington, MA | $2,754 | 9.0 |
| 7 | Avalon at Lexington Hills | Lexington, MA | $2,857 | 9.0 |
| 8 | Waltham Overlook | Waltham, MA | $1,950 | 6.0 |
| 9 | Rumney Flats | Revere, MA | $2,181 | 6.5 |
| 10 | The Royal Belmont | Belmont, MA | $3,504 | 10.0 |
| Value Rank | Property Name | Location | Avg. Rent | Avg. School Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leisure Lane | Stoneham, MA | $1,755 | 8.0 |
| 2 | Lord Baron Apartments | Burlington, MA | $1,610 | 7.0 |
| 3 | Avalon at Lexington | Lexington, MA | $2,754 | 10.0 |
| 4 | The Point at North Quincy | Quincy, MA | $2,222 | 8.0 |
| 5 | The Residences At Beacon Village | Burlington, MA | $1,985 | 7.0 |
| 6 | Mystic Place | Medford, MA | $2,276 | 8.0 |
| 7 | Katahdin Woods | Lexington, MA | $2,855 | 10.0 |
| 8 | Avalon at Lexington Hills | Lexington, MA | $2,857 | 10.0 |
| 9 | Avalon Burlington | Burlington, MA | $2,052 | 7.0 |
| 10 | Wakefield Vista Apartments | Wakefield, MA | $2,083 | 7.0 |
Jared is a Baton Rouge, La.-based freelance journalist focused on, in his words, "finding data, 'interviewing it' and then telling its story through interactive tools and traditional journalism." His past work includes analyzing pension shortfalls, looking at election results, tracking campaign finance contributions and analyzing educational and school system data. Some of his work has previously appeared on The Daily Advocate and unfundedmichigan.org.