The brief
A private elementary school in Cambridge, MA serving grades Pre-K – 8th.
It ranks 62 of 414 schools in Massachusetts.
Shady Hill School is a private school: it enrolls by application and tuition, and its rating comes from the private-school model, which is not comparable with a public rating.
About this school's datarating: low confidence · 3 sources, 2019–2024
Every number on this page comes from a published source with a stated period. Where a source is partial, aging, an estimate, or describes a surrounding area rather than the school, that limitation is named here.
- Estimated academic score. This school does not have standardized test data. Based on 20 schools in Cambridge. Learn more
- What this rating measures: classroom size, instructional time, student diversity, community resources, and school characteristics. Private schools are ranked against other private schools in MA.
- Component weights adjusted due to data availability.
Score basis: private school model. Data coverage: 80% of scoring components had data. Components scored: 4 of 5. Ranking pool: private schools in MA.
- School directory (enrollment, grades, staff, contact)
- NCES Private School Universe Survey (PSS) · SY 2023–24 · Low confidence
- Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
- MySchoolScout rating and rank
- MySchoolScout ranking model · Low confidence
- Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
- Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
- Derived as a weighted blend of the component scores shown in Academics from state assessment, EdFacts growth, and NCES resource records.
- Neighborhood (income, housing, education)
- U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates · Low confidence
- Older source: ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates. Use as historical context.
- Reported for the ZCTA for ZIP 02138; this does not measure the attendance area.
Evidence periods: Rating mixed/unknown input periods; assessments vintage unavailable; directory SY 2023–24
The neighborhood
Where it sits, and what the area looks like.Open the Boston school map to see school quality against home prices across the metro.
The area
- Median income
- $122,040
- Median home value
- $1,088,700
- Median rent
- $2,799/mo
- College educated
- 85.6%
- Homeownership
- 40.9%
- Poverty rate
- 12.6%
U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates for the ZCTA associated with school ZIP 02138; this is area context, not an attendance boundary.
Getting around
- Walk Score
- 32
- Car-Dependent
- Transit Score
- 53
- Good Transit
- Bike Score
- 82
- Very Bikeable
- City reported crime
- 3,037/100K
- Reported Part-1 offenses (violent + property + arson) per 100,000 residents, from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program for Cambridge. This is a city-level reported-crime measure, not a school safety rating.
Walk, transit and bike scores by
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting · 2025 · city context (Cambridge), not school-level safety or attendance eligibility. Source details
Source period: 2025. Freshness not available.
Programs and who goes here
What the campus offers, and who it enrolls.Who goes here
- White54%
- Two or More26%
- Hispanic10%
- Asian8%
- Black2%
Enrollment mix: NCES Private School Universe Survey (PSS).
Compare nearby
Grade-compatible schools using the same rating model.- 7.8Compare →
- Shady Hill School7.6
- 7.3Compare →
- 7.2Compare →
- 7.1Compare →
- 6.0Compare →
- 5.4Compare →
- 4.9Compare →
- not ratedCompare →
Distance is proximity only; it is not attendance eligibility.
Private · tuition: Potential private option; tuition and admission requirements have not been verified.
The record
What is on file, and where each number came from.Questions families ask
What grades does Shady Hill School serve?
Shady Hill School serves students in grades Pre-K through 8th.
How many students attend Shady Hill School?
Shady Hill School has an enrollment of approximately 496 students.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shady Hill School?
The student-teacher ratio at Shady Hill School is 6.6:1. A lower ratio generally means more individual attention per student. The national average is approximately 11:1 for private schools.
How does Shady Hill School rank in MA?
Shady Hill School ranks #62 of 414 private schools in MA.
What is Shady Hill School's MySchoolScout rating?
Shady Hill School has a current MySchoolScout rating of 7.6 out of 10. This score combines the level-appropriate components shown in the rating breakdown; equity data is shown separately for context.
Is Shady Hill School a private school?
Yes, Shady Hill School is a private coeducational school with a Nonsectarian affiliation. Private schools are not required to participate in state standardized testing, so academic performance data may be limited compared to public schools.
Is Shady Hill School a religious school?
No, Shady Hill School is a nonsectarian (non-religious) private school.
School facts
- Grades
- Pre-K – 8th
- Enrollment
- 496
- Gender split
- 40% M / 60% F
- Student-teacher ratio
- 6.6:1
- Teachers (FTE)
- 76
- Type
- Private
- Coed status
- Coed
- Affiliation
- Nonsectarian
- School day
- 7 hours
- Days per year
- 171 days
- Setting
- Midsize City
- County
- Middlesex County
- Phone
- (617) 498-3406
- Area population (ZIP 02138)
- 38,077
- Area average commute
- 24.3 min
- Area median age
- 28.7
NCES Private School Universe Survey (PSS) (SY 2023–24).
Sources and official links
Keep exploring
Related reading
Data from NCES Common Core of Data, Mass. Dept. of Elementary & Secondary Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.