Doherty Middle vs Wood Hill Middle School

Wood Hill Middle School and Doherty Middle sit just 4.0 miles apart in Andover, Massachusetts, and their overall ratings are virtually identical — both earn a 9.2/10, with state ranks of #38 and #39 respectively out of 1,791 Massachusetts schools. Parents weighing one against the other are not choosing between a strong school and a weak one; they are navigating a genuine near-tie at the top of the state distribution, where the meaningful differences are smaller and more specific.

On academics, Wood Hill Middle School holds a narrow edge, scoring 8.9/10 in academic performance versus Doherty Middle's 8.7/10 — a 0.2-point gap that reflects slightly stronger tested proficiency outcomes at Wood Hill. Growth tells the opposite story: Doherty Middle scores 9.6/10 on student growth versus Wood Hill Middle School's 9.2/10, a 0.4-point advantage suggesting that Doherty is accelerating student progress at a comparatively faster rate regardless of where students start. Families prioritizing high absolute achievement may lean toward Wood Hill; those who value year-over-year improvement trajectories will find Doherty's growth number more compelling.

Doherty Middle is a larger school — 462 students compared to Wood Hill Middle School's 331 — a difference of 131 students across the same three grade span of 6th through 8th. Wood Hill's smaller enrollment pairs with a lower student-teacher ratio of 9.2:1 versus Doherty Middle's 10.0:1, meaning Wood Hill students have on average more direct access to teachers. For families who prioritize smaller class environments and closer student-teacher contact, Wood Hill's numbers are structurally more favorable.

Both schools serve grades 06–08, so the grade experience is equivalent in scope. The practical distinction parents face is one of scale and optimization: Wood Hill Middle School offers a tighter, lower-ratio environment with a marginal academic score advantage, while Doherty Middle operates at greater scale with a meaningfully higher growth score — indicating it may be more effective at pushing students forward from wherever they begin.