School and Community Summary
The Community
Wakefield Memorial High School is located in Wakefield, Massachusetts. The town is 10 miles north of Boston and bordered by the communities of Stoneham, Reading, Saugus, Lynnfield, and Melrose.
Wakefield has a total area of 7.91 square miles with a population of 27,090 (as of 2020). Wakefield’s population is 93.4% Caucasian, 2.4% Asian, 1.8% Black, and 1.3% two or more races, 1.1% other races. The median age of Wakefield’s population is 43 years old. According to the 20 census data, the median household income is $100,278 in Wakefield. The percentage of residents at or below the poverty level is 4.2%. Eighteen percent of families in the district are considered low-income. As of January 2022, the unemployment rate was 3.1%. Wakefield is home to two assisted living facilities, a residential group home, and a rehabilitation center.
The School and the Students
In addition to Wakefield Memorial High School with a population of 858, the Galvin Middle School includes 1,061 students, four elementary schools (Dolbeare, Woodville, Walton, and Greenwood), house 447, 423, 216, and 223 students respectively, and 140 students at the Doyle preschool, for a total of 3,368 in the Wakefield Public School District. Within the town, there is one parochial school: St. Joseph’s, which enrolls students in grades pre-K through 8. In addition, Wakefield is home to the Northeast Regional Vocational Technical High School and the Odyssey Day School.
The Wakefield Public School District’s per pupil expenditures for FY 2020 was $16,749 per pupil compared to a state average expenditure of $17,575 per pupil. The budget was $45,343,200 for SY2022, up from $43,976,659 the year before. The SY 2023 budget is projected at $47,607,077. Approximately forty-three percent of the town budget was allocated to Wakefield Public Schools.
Wakefield Memorial High School includes students in grades 9 -12 with a total enrollment of 858 students divided between 417 males and 441 females. The school population has decreased by 15% over the past five years. The ethnic, racial, and cultural composition was 82.3% White, 7.7% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 3.3% Black, and 3% during the 2021-2022 school year. The average dropout rate for the past two years has been 0.4%, the average daily student attendance 93.7%, and the average attendance rate among teachers 95%. The 2021 4-year graduation rate was 97.9%. Eighteen percent of the school population (154 students) lived below the low-income level during the school year 2020-2021.
In the class of 2021, eighty-four percent of graduates attended four-year colleges, with nine percent enrolling in two-year colleges, three percent entering the workforce, and four percent entering the military.
Colleges & educational opportunities
Wakefield Memorial has engaged in a variety of school initiatives to improve student learning. WMHS partners with North Shore Community College to create opportunities for any student to take NSCC courses at no cost. Students can select from a list of these courses and earn dual credit (both college and high school credit). Over the past two years, WMHS and Bunker hill Community College have partnered in order to offer two World Language courses as Dual Enrollment (Dual Enrollment Spanish and Latin). WMHS offers a Virtual High School program to increase the variety and depth of the curriculum we are able to offer. We are also working to increase our internship opportunities. For example, students in our Child Development class serve as interns at the Woodville Elementary School located next door to the high school. Students in our culinary classes prepare and sell food to staff on a daily basis.
Businesses
Wakefield Memorial engages with local businesses through a number of initiatives. WMHS partners with local businesses and professionals to hold an annual Job Shadow Day program in which every eleventh-grade student has the opportunity to spend a day at a local business in a job shadowing experience. Wakefield Memorial High School also boasts to be the first school in the country to have an on-site bank. The Savings Bank and WHS established the First Educational Saving Branch in 1981. A full-service installation located opposite the Main Office is open each day for all members of the school and community to use. Students are trained on the job and work as tellers throughout the year. WMHS students participate in numerous food drives and fundraising events for local charities; blood drives and walks for hunger; performances by music groups during holidays and for the elderly. The WMHS Art Department travels downtown to decorate business storefront windows during the winter holiday season. The Youth Action Team is a club where members aim to reduce youth risk-taking behaviors and promote healthy choices. For example, members attend monthly meetings with the Wakefield Unified Prevention Coalition to develop ways to promote awareness of risky behaviors and mental health issues within the community. Our Youth Council partners with organizations and local government agencies on initiatives such as voter outreach, specifically for youth that are able to vote.
Students are recognized for their accomplishments through a variety of means: Superintendent’s and principal’s awards are given annually to students, and an awards assembly is held annually to provide academic awards in each discipline at each grade level. The Wakefield Educational Foundation recognizes students from all schools in the district during an annual event called the Celebration of Learning; a National Honor Society ceremony is held to recognize those senior students who have earned induction based on their performance over the first six semesters. The athletic department awards Student-Athletes of the Month. The honor roll is published in the local newspaper.