Ayer Shirley School District vs Lunenburg Schools
How the two districts, about 6 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Lunenburg ranks higher, #120 to Ayer Shirley School District's #136 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Mixed: Ayer Shirley School District leads in ELA (41% vs 40%), Lunenburg in Math (47% vs 41%). Statewide: 40% and 41%.
- SAT: Lunenburg averages 34 points higher (1133 vs 1099).
- Spending: Ayer Shirley School District spends $1,413 more per student ($19,014 vs $17,601).
- Homes: Similar: single-family homes average $548K in Ayer Shirley School District and $517K in Lunenburg. The average tax bill is $6,558 in Ayer Shirley School District and $7,444 in Lunenburg.
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 | Ayer Shirley School District | Lunenburg | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 41% | 40% | 40% |
| 2025 | 42% | 47% | 42% |
| 2024 | 45% | 43% | 41% |
| 2023 | 49% | 46% | 45% |
| 2022 | 47% | 44% | 43% |
| 2021 | 49% | 54% | 48% |
| Year | Ayer Shirley School District | Lunenburg | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 41% | 47% | 41% |
| 2025 | 39% | 47% | 41% |
| 2024 | 39% | 48% | 42% |
| 2023 | 42% | 46% | 42% |
| 2022 | 41% | 42% | 40% |
| 2021 | 30% | 42% | 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
| Ayer Shirley School District | Lunenburg | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 1,728 | 1,587 |
| English learners | 7.2% | 3.8% |
| Students with disabilities | 19.4% | 17% |
| White | 66.5% | 77.4% |
| Asian | 5% | 1.5% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 15.8% | 12.5% |
| Black/African American | 7.7% | 4.2% |
| Multi-race | 4.5% | 3.4% |
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.