Doherty Middle vs Andover West Middle

Doherty Middle and Andover West Middle sit 0.9 miles apart in Andover, Massachusetts, yet their state rankings diverge more than their rating gap suggests. Doherty Middle holds an overall rating of 9.2/10 versus 9.0/10 for Andover West Middle — a 0.2-point difference — but in statewide context that gap translates to #39 versus #67 out of 1,791 Massachusetts schools. Both land in the top 4% of the state, making either an objectively strong placement, but Doherty Middle holds the edge in relative standing.

On the academic side, the two schools are statistically identical: both Doherty Middle and Andover West Middle score 8.7/10 for academic achievement. The separation opens on growth, where Doherty Middle scores 9.6/10 against Andover West Middle's 9.3/10 — a 0.3-point delta indicating that students at Doherty Middle are advancing at a measurably faster rate relative to their starting points, regardless of where they enter.

Enrollment is close — Doherty Middle at 462 students and Andover West Middle at 493 — but the student-teacher ratio shifts more meaningfully: Doherty Middle runs 10.0 students per teacher versus Andover West Middle's 10.7:1. That 0.7-student difference gives Doherty Middle marginally more individualized classroom access on average. Both schools are mid-sized middle school environments, neither too large to feel anonymous nor small enough to limit elective variety.

Both schools serve grades 6 through 8, so there is no structural difference in grade span or transition timing. Families will experience the same three-year arc at either campus. The deciding variables are therefore quantitative: Doherty Middle's faster student growth rate, slightly lower class density, and 28-rank advantage in Massachusetts are the concrete differentiators within an otherwise near-identical academic profile.