Athol-Royalston vs Gardner Schools
How the two districts, about 12 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Gardner ranks higher, #292 to Athol-Royalston's #302 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Similar results: in Athol-Royalston, 21% met expectations in ELA and 20% in Math; in Gardner, 20% and 20%. Statewide: 40% and 41%.
- SAT: Athol-Royalston averages 52 points higher (964 vs 912).
- Spending: Similar: $18,890 per student in Athol-Royalston and $18,539 in Gardner.
- Homes: Homes cost more in Gardner: single-family homes average $367K vs $326K. The average tax bill is $3,716 in Athol-Royalston 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 | Athol-Royalston | Gardner | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21% | 20% | 40% |
| 2025 | 21% | 23% | 42% |
| 2024 | 23% | 24% | 41% |
| 2023 | 26% | 26% | 44% |
| 2022 | 25% | 28% | 43% |
| 2021 | 33% | 29% | 48% |
| Year | Athol-Royalston | Gardner | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20% | 20% | 41% |
| 2025 | 20% | 20% | 41% |
| 2024 | 19% | 22% | 41% |
| 2023 | 22% | 25% | 42% |
| 2022 | 26% | 26% | 40% |
| 2021 | 22% | 16% | 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
| Athol-Royalston | Gardner | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 1,591 | 2,521 |
| English learners | 4.3% | 10.9% |
| Students with disabilities | 26.1% | 24.2% |
| White | 74.7% | 55% |
| Asian | 1% | 1.5% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 17.3% | 30.5% |
| Black/African American | 2.5% | 4.7% |
| Multi-race | 4.5% | 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.