Acton-Boxborough vs Harvard Schools
How the two districts, about 6 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Harvard ranks higher, #21 to Acton-Boxborough's #56 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Mixed: Harvard leads in ELA (70% vs 67%), Acton-Boxborough in Math (70% vs 69%). Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Acton-Boxborough averages 57 points higher (1334 vs 1277).
- Spending: Harvard spends $3,006 more per student ($25,306 vs $22,300).
- Homes: Similar: single-family homes average $936K in Acton-Boxborough and $918K in Harvard. The average tax bill is $14,796 in Acton-Boxborough and $14,562 in Harvard.
- Class size: Smaller in Harvard: 16.2 students on average vs 20.6.
MCAS results, 2026
Share of students meeting or exceeding expectations, all tested grades combined. Both districts test grades 3–10; "State" is the statewide figure for the same grades.
| Year | Acton-Boxborough | Harvard | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 67% | 70% | 41% |
| 2025 | 69% | 73% | 43% |
| 2024 | 67% | 74% | 42% |
| 2023 | 70% | 76% | 45% |
| 2022 | 69% | 76% | 44% |
| 2021 | 72% | 79% | 49% |
| Year | Acton-Boxborough | Harvard | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 70% | 69% | 41% |
| 2025 | 71% | 67% | 41% |
| 2024 | 71% | 70% | 42% |
| 2023 | 71% | 72% | 42% |
| 2022 | 72% | 73% | 41% |
| 2021 | 69% | 67% | 36% |
No test in 2020. Statewide 10th-grade results dropped after 2024, when passing the MCAS stopped being a graduation requirement.
High school results
Averages of each district's ranked high schools. "MA avg" is the average of all districts with high school data.
Classrooms, teachers & spending
Spending is total per-pupil expenditure from all sources in FY2024. Class size is the average across all classes in the district.
Students
| Acton-Boxborough | Harvard | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 5,105 | 1,019 |
| English learners | 7% | 3.1% |
| Students with disabilities | 16.9% | 17.6% |
| White | 49% | 70.9% |
| Asian | 31.9% | 14.3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 9.5% | 6.2% |
| Black/African American | 3.3% | 2% |
| Multi-race | 6.2% | 6.4% |
Homes & taxes
What could you afford in either town?
FY2026 averages for single-family homes from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue; for a district with several towns, the comparison uses the average of its towns. Assessed values usually run below recent sale prices.