Ashburnham-Westminster vs Gardner Schools
How the two districts, about 4 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Ashburnham-Westminster ranks higher, #163 to Gardner's #292 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Ashburnham-Westminster students score higher: ELA 42% vs 20%, Math 39% vs 20% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Ashburnham-Westminster averages 215 points higher (1127 vs 912).
- Spending: Gardner spends $1,586 more per student ($18,539 vs $16,953).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Ashburnham-Westminster: single-family homes average $465K vs $367K. The average tax bill is $6,119 in Ashburnham-Westminster and $5,052 in Gardner.
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 | Ashburnham-Westminster | Gardner | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 42% | 20% | 41% |
| 2025 | 42% | 23% | 43% |
| 2024 | 41% | 24% | 42% |
| 2023 | 45% | 26% | 44% |
| 2022 | 48% | 28% | 43% |
| 2021 | 54% | 29% | 49% |
| Year | Ashburnham-Westminster | Gardner | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 39% | 20% | 41% |
| 2025 | 41% | 20% | 41% |
| 2024 | 43% | 22% | 42% |
| 2023 | 42% | 25% | 42% |
| 2022 | 46% | 26% | 40% |
| 2021 | 36% | 16% | 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
| Ashburnham-Westminster | Gardner | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,265 | 2,521 |
| English learners | 1.7% | 10.9% |
| Students with disabilities | 18.8% | 24.2% |
| White | 85.7% | 55% |
| Asian | 1% | 1.5% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.7% | 30.5% |
| Black/African American | 2.3% | 4.7% |
| Multi-race | 3.2% | 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.