Auburn vs Worcester Schools
How the two districts, about 5 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Auburn ranks higher, #140 to Worcester's #249 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Auburn students score higher: ELA 41% vs 25%, Math 43% vs 24% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Auburn averages 29 points higher (1105 vs 1076).
- Spending: Worcester spends $4,694 more per student ($22,476 vs $17,782).
- Homes: Similar: single-family homes average $443K in Auburn and $410K in Worcester. The average tax bill is $6,307 in Auburn and $5,446 in Worcester.
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 | Auburn | Worcester | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 41% | 25% | 41% |
| 2025 | 45% | 27% | 43% |
| 2024 | 48% | 25% | 42% |
| 2023 | 50% | 28% | 44% |
| 2022 | 48% | 29% | 43% |
| 2021 | 54% | 30% | 49% |
| Year | Auburn | Worcester | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 43% | 24% | 41% |
| 2025 | 41% | 24% | 41% |
| 2024 | 47% | 24% | 42% |
| 2023 | 49% | 24% | 42% |
| 2022 | 47% | 23% | 40% |
| 2021 | 44% | 17% | 36% |
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
| Auburn | Worcester | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,508 | 25,578 |
| English learners | 4.3% | 33.1% |
| Students with disabilities | 15.5% | 21.5% |
| White | 73.4% | 23.9% |
| Asian | 5.1% | 6.2% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 13.8% | 45.8% |
| Black/African American | 5.1% | 19.8% |
| Multi-race | 2.2% | 4% |
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.