09/10/2026
Positive as this ranking is for Sharon (beating out heavyweights like Needham, Newton North, Acton-Boxborough - wow), the initiatives your schools have in progress right now are even more encouraging. Big changes your schools are making right now are what will really move the needle raising student achievement and admissions to top colleges. Reasons I am bullish on Sharon:
- Last year the schools replaced a subpar literacy curriculum with a high-quality literacy program, one of the best possible steps schools can take to getting scores up.
- The schools are doing a similar pilot of high-quality math curriculum this year, potentially repeating the successes of the new literacy program.
- Homework had fallen off the map during and immediately after COVID, and there is now a renewed focus on regular consistent homework and work habits.
- Banning cell phones bell to bell is already reportedly having a highly positive impact on student focus and school culture.
- The best way to "hack" ratings, but also a good all-around approach for students, is expanding AP course access and achievement, which is a major focus this year.
Rankings aren't everything, and there are multiple rankings out there, but they are good directional indicators. There was a US News and World Report that came out earlier this year that had Sharon falling. Importantly that ranking was based on data going back as far as 2022. The effective date for when it measured was probably more like 2023-2024, so that is more of a longer-term indicator, equally valid but not as meaningful in terms of where your schools are at this year. This ranking uses the most recent data available, and I am glad to see reflected in it what I know to be true, that right now we have an excellent school district and it is only getting better. Spend a day with some well deserved pride in your schools, Sharon. If you own a home here, you got in on a good thing.
We crunched the numbers to come up with our guide to the region’s top-performing schools. About the 2026 list This year’s rankings offer a statistical […]
