Maria L. Baldwin vs Haggerty

Maria L. Baldwin and Haggerty are both elementary schools in Cambridge, Massachusetts, serving grades PK–05 and sitting just 1.9 miles apart — yet their overall ratings diverge meaningfully. Maria L. Baldwin holds a 9.9/10 overall rating against Haggerty's 9.3/10, a 0.6-point gap that translates into a dramatic state rank difference: Maria L. Baldwin ranks #1 of 1,791 Massachusetts elementary schools while Haggerty ranks #16 of 1,791. Both schools sit at the very top of the state, but Baldwin holds the top position outright.

The sharpest separation between the two schools appears in academic proficiency. Maria L. Baldwin scores 9.8/10 on academics compared to Haggerty's 8.3/10 — a 1.5-point gap that represents the largest difference across all measured categories. Growth scores are far closer: Maria L. Baldwin earns a 9.9/10 while Haggerty earns a 9.7/10, a near-dead-heat that signals both schools are advancing students at similarly strong rates regardless of where they start. Families prioritizing current grade-level proficiency will find a clearer edge at Baldwin; families focused on year-over-year learning gains will find both schools nearly equivalent.

Structurally, the two schools differ in size and staffing intensity. Maria L. Baldwin enrolls 352 students against Haggerty's 229 — a 123-student difference that gives Haggerty a noticeably smaller campus feel. That smaller enrollment pairs with a considerably lower student-teacher ratio: Haggerty's 7.9:1 ratio means roughly one additional adult for every eight students compared to Maria L. Baldwin's 11.0:1. For families where class size and individualized attention are deciding factors, Haggerty's staffing density is a concrete structural advantage despite its lower overall rating.

Both schools serve the same grade band — PK through 5th grade — so neither offers an extended elementary pathway the other lacks. The choice ultimately comes down to whether top-ranked academic proficiency or smaller class sizes and tighter adult-to-student ratios matter more to a given family, as both schools represent the highest tier of elementary education in Massachusetts.