Ashland vs Grafton Schools
How the two districts, about 11 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Ashland ranks higher, #59 to Grafton's #85 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Similar results: in Ashland, 54% met expectations in ELA and 57% in Math; in Grafton, 52% and 55%. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Ashland averages 65 points higher (1218 vs 1153).
- Spending: Similar: $17,922 per student in Ashland and $17,211 in Grafton.
- Homes: Homes cost more in Ashland: single-family homes average $737K vs $664K. The average tax bill is $9,372 in Ashland and $9,086 in Grafton.
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 | Ashland | Grafton | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 54% | 52% | 41% |
| 2025 | 56% | 54% | 43% |
| 2024 | 55% | 55% | 42% |
| 2023 | 58% | 57% | 45% |
| 2022 | 56% | 54% | 43% |
| 2021 | 61% | 60% | 48% |
| Year | Ashland | Grafton | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 57% | 55% | 41% |
| 2025 | 57% | 54% | 41% |
| 2024 | 59% | 57% | 42% |
| 2023 | 60% | 55% | 42% |
| 2022 | 57% | 52% | 40% |
| 2021 | 53% | 50% | 35% |
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
| Ashland | Grafton | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,935 | 3,161 |
| English learners | 8.3% | 3.4% |
| Students with disabilities | 19.3% | 19.3% |
| White | 52% | 67.2% |
| Asian | 18.8% | 16.1% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 21.6% | 9.6% |
| Black/African American | 3.4% | 3.2% |
| Multi-race | 3.6% | 3.2% |
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.