Needham, Massachusetts

Needham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 12.7 square miles, of which 12.6 square miles is land and 0.1 square miles is water.

Needham’s area is roughly in the shape of an acute, northward-pointing triangle. The Charles River forms nearly all of the southern and northeastern boundaries, the town line with Wellesley forming the third (northwestern) one. In addition to Wellesley on the northwest, Needham borders Newton and the West Roxbury section of Boston on the northeast and Dover, Westwood and Dedham on the south. The majority of Cutler Park is in Needham and is located along the Charles River and the border with Newton and West Roxbury.

The Town of Needham operates one high school (Needham High School, which underwent a large renovation that was completed in 2009), one middle school (the William F. Pollard Middle School, for seventh and eighth grade), High Rock School (for sixth grade only) and five elementary schools for grades K-5: John Eliot Elementary School, Hillside Elementary School, Mitchell Elementary School, Newman Elementary School and Broadmeadow Elementary School. Needham is also home to private schools such as St. Joseph’s Elementary School, St. Sebastian’s School and Monsignor Haddad Middle School. The town of Needham is also home to the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering.