Athol-Royalston vs Ralph C Mahar Schools
How the two districts, about 9 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Ralph C Mahar ranks higher, #264 to Athol-Royalston's #302 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Ralph C Mahar students score higher: ELA 26% vs 21%, Math 28% vs 20% met expectations. Statewide: 40% and 41%.
- High school: Ralph C Mahar has no high school in our rankings (its students may attend a regional high school), so only Athol-Royalston has SAT and graduation figures (SAT average 964).
- Spending: Ralph C Mahar spends $9,146 more per student ($28,036 vs $18,890).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Ralph C Mahar: single-family homes average $353K vs $326K. The average tax bill is $3,716 in Athol-Royalston and $5,189 in Ralph C Mahar.
- Class size: Smaller in Ralph C Mahar: 11.7 students on average vs 17.4.
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 | Ralph C Mahar | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21% | 26% | 40% |
| 2025 | 21% | 24% | 42% |
| 2024 | 23% | 23% | 41% |
| 2023 | 26% | 28% | 44% |
| 2022 | 25% | 22% | 43% |
| 2021 | 33% | 32% | 48% |
| Year | Athol-Royalston | Ralph C Mahar | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20% | 28% | 41% |
| 2025 | 20% | 24% | 41% |
| 2024 | 19% | 21% | 41% |
| 2023 | 22% | 25% | 42% |
| 2022 | 26% | 21% | 40% |
| 2021 | 22% | 19% | 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 | Ralph C Mahar | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 1,591 | 517 |
| English learners | 4.3% | 3.1% |
| Students with disabilities | 26.1% | 28.2% |
| White | 74.7% | 81% |
| Asian | 1% | 1.3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 17.3% | 12.2% |
| Black/African American | 2.5% | 2.2% |
| Multi-race | 4.5% | 2.9% |
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.