Ashland vs Northboro-Southboro Schools
How the two districts, about 7 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Northboro-Southboro ranks higher, #46 to Ashland's #59 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Northboro-Southboro students score higher: ELA 59% vs 54%, Math 64% vs 57% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Northboro-Southboro averages 23 points higher (1241 vs 1218).
- Spending: Northboro-Southboro spends $7,120 more per student ($25,043 vs $17,922).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Northboro-Southboro: single-family homes average $848K vs $737K. The average tax bill is $9,372 in Ashland and $12,346 in Northboro-Southboro.
- Class size: Smaller in Northboro-Southboro: 13.7 students on average vs 18.1.
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 | Northboro-Southboro | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 54% | 59% | 41% |
| 2025 | 56% | 64% | 43% |
| 2024 | 55% | 62% | 42% |
| 2023 | 58% | 67% | 45% |
| 2022 | 56% | 62% | 43% |
| 2021 | 61% | 69% | 48% |
| Year | Ashland | Northboro-Southboro | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 57% | 64% | 41% |
| 2025 | 57% | 64% | 41% |
| 2024 | 59% | 65% | 42% |
| 2023 | 60% | 67% | 42% |
| 2022 | 57% | 66% | 40% |
| 2021 | 53% | 63% | 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 | Northboro-Southboro | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,935 | 1,204 |
| English learners | 8.3% | 0.8% |
| Students with disabilities | 19.3% | 15.4% |
| White | 52% | 66.1% |
| Asian | 18.8% | 16.9% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 21.6% | 9.3% |
| Black/African American | 3.4% | 1.7% |
| Multi-race | 3.6% | 4.7% |
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.