Athol-Royalston vs Winchendon Schools
How the two districts, about 8 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Winchendon ranks higher, #285 to Athol-Royalston's #302 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Mixed: Winchendon leads in ELA (27% vs 21%), Athol-Royalston in Math (20% vs 19%). Statewide: 40% and 41%.
- SAT: Athol-Royalston averages 29 points higher (964 vs 935).
- Spending: Similar: $18,890 per student in Athol-Royalston and $19,585 in Winchendon.
- Homes: Homes cost more in Winchendon: single-family homes average $372K vs $326K. The average tax bill is $3,716 in Athol-Royalston and $4,720 in Winchendon.
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 | Winchendon | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21% | 27% | 40% |
| 2025 | 21% | 27% | 42% |
| 2024 | 23% | 25% | 41% |
| 2023 | 26% | 27% | 44% |
| 2022 | 25% | 23% | 43% |
| 2021 | 33% | 33% | 48% |
| Year | Athol-Royalston | Winchendon | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20% | 19% | 41% |
| 2025 | 20% | 20% | 41% |
| 2024 | 19% | 18% | 41% |
| 2023 | 22% | 20% | 42% |
| 2022 | 26% | 18% | 40% |
| 2021 | 22% | 14% | 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 | Winchendon | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 1,591 | 1,209 |
| English learners | 4.3% | 2.5% |
| Students with disabilities | 26.1% | 30.3% |
| White | 74.7% | 79.1% |
| Asian | 1% | 0.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 17.3% | 13.8% |
| Black/African American | 2.5% | 2.4% |
| Multi-race | 4.5% | 3.8% |
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.