Sanborn Elementary leads Andover in U.S. News rankings

Henry C. Sanborn Elementary earned the highest ranking of any Andover or North Andover school in the 2027 U.S. News Best Elementary Schools list, placing No. 49 out of 956 ranked Massachusetts elementary schools.

The Lovejoy Road school scored 94.97 out of 100. According to its U.S. News profile, 81% of Sanborn students scored at or above the proficient level in math and 68% did so in reading. Both figures topped the Andover district averages of 70% in math and 64% in reading.

Sanborn ranked No. 39 statewide in math proficiency and No. 48 in reading proficiency. U.S. News rated the school "well above expectations" in both math and reading performance.

High Plain Elementary, also in Andover, placed No. 91 statewide with an overall score of 90.58. High Plain's math proficiency rate was 68% and its reading proficiency was 65%. Andover has five ranked elementary schools in the district.

North Andover

Kittredge Elementary led North Andover at No. 119 statewide, scoring 87.64 out of 100. The Main Street school posted 68% math proficiency and 50% reading proficiency. Both exceeded the North Andover district averages of 56% in math and 45% in reading.

North Andover also has five ranked elementary schools. Atkinson Elementary, also in North Andover, ranked in the No. 717–956 range, according to its U.S. News profile.

A data-year gap to watch

The rankings rely on state assessment data from the 2023–2024 school year, according to U.S. News. More recent MCAS results tell a different story at Sanborn. The share of Sanborn students meeting or exceeding expectations in English fell from 75% in 2025 to 60% in 2026, according to Andover News. Math dropped from 79% to 73% over the same period.

Year-to-year school comparisons do not track the same students, and some results represent small groups, Andover News noted.

High Plain moved in the opposite direction. Its English proficiency rate rose from 65% to 69% in 2026. Andover Public Schools spokesperson Nicole Kieser cited High Plain as an example of progress, noting the school ranked at the 98th accountability percentile among schools serving similar grades.

How the rankings work

U.S. News ranked nearly 47,000 elementary schools nationwide. The formula weighs four factors equally at 25% each: math proficiency, math performance, reading proficiency and reading performance. Half the formula assessed raw scores. The other half factored in socioeconomic demographics. Only public schools are included because they take common statewide assessments.