@ClarinetDad16 As someone with no dog in the fight in terms of Tufts, I think it’s riding that line between Northwestern/Rice/WashU and, to use a Boston example you used, Brandies. I don’t think it would be fair to put Tufts categorically in either.
For some of the peers you listed, I think they match. For example, I’d agree with Rochester and Tufts as peers. I wouldn’t agree with Wake Forest, Bucknell, or Colgate.
It also depends on the subject. For a liberal arts subject, I would put them in that higher tier. Others, likely not.