•Overall: Groton-Dunstable ranks higher, #27 to Ayer Shirley School District's #136 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
•MCAS 2026: Groton-Dunstable students score higher: ELA 55% vs 41%, Math 61% vs 41% met expectations. Statewide: 40% and 41%.
•SAT: Groton-Dunstable averages 113 points higher (1212 vs 1099).
•Spending: Groton-Dunstable spends $3,018 more per student ($22,031 vs $19,014).
•Homes: Homes cost more in Groton-Dunstable: single-family homes average $753K vs $548K. The average tax bill is $6,558 in Ayer Shirley School District and $10,618 in Groton-Dunstable.
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.
English Language ArtsGroton-Dunstable ahead
Ayer Shirley School District
41%
Groton-Dunstable
55%
State
40%
MathGroton-Dunstable ahead
Ayer Shirley School District
41%
Groton-Dunstable
61%
State
41%
ELA by year
Year
Ayer Shirley School District
Groton-Dunstable
State
2026
41%
55%
40%
2025
42%
61%
42%
2024
45%
56%
41%
2023
49%
65%
45%
2022
47%
63%
43%
2021
49%
68%
48%
Math by year
Year
Ayer Shirley School District
Groton-Dunstable
State
2026
41%
61%
41%
2025
39%
60%
41%
2024
39%
61%
42%
2023
42%
63%
42%
2022
41%
63%
40%
2021
30%
61%
35%
No test in 2020. Statewide 10th-grade results dropped after 2024, when passing the MCAS stopped being a graduation requirement.
High school results
Average SATGroton-Dunstable ahead
Ayer Shirley School District
1099
Groton-Dunstable
1212
MA avg
1113
AP exams scored 3+Groton-Dunstable ahead
Ayer Shirley School District
68.6%
Groton-Dunstable
84.8%
MA avg
69.1%
Four-year graduation rateAbout the same
Ayer Shirley School District
96.8%
Groton-Dunstable
97.2%
MA avg
92.4%
Averages of each district's ranked high schools. "MA avg" is the average of all districts with high school data.
Classrooms, teachers & spending
Average class sizeAbout the same
Ayer Shirley School District
18.7
Groton-Dunstable
18.6
MA avg
17.3
Attendance rateAbout the same
Ayer Shirley School District
94.6%
Groton-Dunstable
95%
MA avg
93.7%
Chronically absentmissed 10%+ of daysLower in Groton-Dunstable
Ayer Shirley School District
13.1%
Groton-Dunstable
8.9%
MA avg
16.9%
Teachers who stayedfrom last yearGroton-Dunstable ahead
Ayer Shirley School District
85.3%
Groton-Dunstable
87.4%
MA avg
84.7%
Spending per studentHigher in Groton-Dunstable
Ayer Shirley School District
$19,014
Groton-Dunstable
$22,031
MA median
$21,765
Average teacher salaryHigher in Groton-Dunstable
Ayer Shirley School District
$85,887
Groton-Dunstable
$91,218
MA median
$91,393
Spending is total per-pupil expenditure from all sources in FY2024. Class size is the average across all classes in the district.
Students
Ayer Shirley School District
Groton-Dunstable
Students in classes
1,728
2,324
English learners
7.2%
2.1%
Students with disabilities
19.4%
18.8%
White
66.5%
80.6%
Asian
5%
8.4%
Hispanic/Latino
15.8%
4.6%
Black/African American
7.7%
2.1%
Multi-race
4.5%
3.9%
Homes & taxes
Average single-family home valueHigher in Groton-Dunstable
Ayer Shirley School District
$548K
Groton-Dunstable
$753K
MA median
$588K
Average property tax billHigher in Groton-Dunstable
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.