Newton’s Fire Department, one of only five “Class 1” Fire Departments in the Commonwealth as rated by the Insurance Service Office (ISO), has fully trained EMT’s on all apparatus, a highly specialized Technical Rescue Vehicle and Team, and is currently far along in the process of a comprehensive upgrade of all station houses. The City has a fully accredited Newton Police Department and is one of the reasons we have been ranked one of the safest cities in America several times during the last decade. Their combined student enrollment is approximately 17,000 students. The major colleges/universities in Newton include Boston College, Lasell University, William James College, and the UMass Amherst – Mount Ida Campus. Newton is home to a variety of private secondary and post-secondary schools which contribute to the fabric of Newton. Total NPS enrollment was 12,750 in FY2018, 12,685 in FY2019, and though not yet finalized, is expected to approximate 12,625 in FY2020. In the last two years, though, enrollment has dipped. Unlike many cities and towns in Massachusetts, during the past decade, the number of school age children attending the Newton Public Schools increased by approximately 1,250 students or 10%. NPS also focuses on challenging our students while providing a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environment.
Our educators work diligently to meet the needs – educational, social and emotional, extracurricular – of every student in our diverse community. Our educators focus on achieving our dual goals of academic excellence and educational equity. Great schools are a critical city service and serve as the cornerstone of Newton’s success. The Newton Public Schools (NPS) are among the best in the Commonwealth. Many of Newton’s employees have dedicated their lives to municipal service - educating their neighbors’ children, plowing roadways in dangerous weather conditions, and literally putting their lives on the line while serving in Newton’s Police and Fire Departments. To provide this complete range of services, the City of Newton is served by approximately 3,000 employees: approximately 2,000 in the Newton Public Schools and close to 1,000 on the City side. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority provides public water supply and sewage treatment services and the City operates water, sewer and stormwater systems. The City of Newton provides a complete range of services including education, public safety, public works, curbside trash and recycling, recreation, library, cultural, and health and human services. In September 2018, Newton was again ranked #1 in Massachusetts as the best place to live and #12 in the U.S. We have an excellent public school system safe and attractive neighborhoods an active community life multiple transportation systems proximity to Boston and a well-managed City government. Newton is a desirable community in which to live and work. We pride ourselves on being known as “The Garden City” and open space comprises 19.6% of the City’s total land area, of which 55% is publicly owned. Unlike many communities that are established around a single Main Street or downtown, Newton is comprised of thirteen distinctive villages – Auburndale Chestnut Hill Newton Centre Newton Corner Newton Highlands Newton Lower Falls Newton Upper Falls Newtonville Nonantum Oak Hill Thompsonville Waban and West Newton. The City is principally suburban-residential in character.
The City has a population of 88,817 (2017) and occupies a land area of 18.33 square miles. It is bordered by the West Roxbury section of Boston on the southeast, the Town of Needham on the southwest, the Towns of Wellesley and Weston on the west, the Cities of Watertown, Waltham and Town of Weston on the north and the Town of Brookline and the Allston-Brighton sections of Boston on the east. The City of Newton is located seven miles west of downtown Boston.