Amesbury vs Pentucket Schools
How the two districts, about 4 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Amesbury ranks higher, #106 to Pentucket's #114 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Pentucket students score higher: ELA 47% vs 39%, Math 46% vs 35% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 42%.
- SAT: Pentucket averages 51 points higher (1155 vs 1104).
- Spending: Amesbury spends $2,412 more per student ($23,135 vs $20,724).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Pentucket: single-family homes average $773K vs $656K. The average tax bill is $9,868 in Amesbury and $9,157 in Pentucket.
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 | Amesbury | Pentucket | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 39% | 47% | 41% |
| 2025 | 41% | 51% | 43% |
| 2024 | 38% | 46% | 42% |
| 2023 | 43% | 53% | 44% |
| 2022 | 42% | 51% | 43% |
| 2021 | 51% | 53% | 48% |
| Year | Amesbury | Pentucket | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 35% | 46% | 42% |
| 2025 | 33% | 51% | 41% |
| 2024 | 39% | 51% | 42% |
| 2023 | 45% | 52% | 42% |
| 2022 | 44% | 48% | 40% |
| 2021 | 34% | 42% | 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
| Amesbury | Pentucket | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 1,832 | 2,243 |
| English learners | 5.2% | 1.2% |
| Students with disabilities | 21.5% | 23.7% |
| White | 78.2% | 87.3% |
| Asian | 1.8% | 0.9% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 13.8% | 8.5% |
| Black/African American | 2.3% | 0.3% |
| Multi-race | 3.5% | 2.8% |
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.