Ayer Shirley School District vs Tyngsborough Schools
How the two districts, about 11 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Ayer Shirley School District ranks higher, #136 to Tyngsborough's #161 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Mixed: Ayer Shirley School District leads in ELA (41% vs 36%), Tyngsborough in Math (43% vs 41%). Statewide: 40% and 41%.
- SAT: Tyngsborough averages 46 points higher (1145 vs 1099).
- Spending: Similar: $19,014 per student in Ayer Shirley School District and $20,064 in Tyngsborough.
- Homes: Homes cost more in Tyngsborough: single-family homes average $642K vs $548K. The average tax bill is $6,558 in Ayer Shirley School District and $8,340 in Tyngsborough.
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 | Tyngsborough | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 41% | 36% | 40% |
| 2025 | 42% | 40% | 42% |
| 2024 | 45% | 39% | 41% |
| 2023 | 49% | 37% | 45% |
| 2022 | 47% | 39% | 43% |
| 2021 | 49% | 52% | 48% |
| Year | Ayer Shirley School District | Tyngsborough | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 41% | 43% | 41% |
| 2025 | 39% | 43% | 41% |
| 2024 | 39% | 41% | 42% |
| 2023 | 42% | 41% | 42% |
| 2022 | 41% | 39% | 40% |
| 2021 | 30% | 40% | 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 | Tyngsborough | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 1,728 | 1,544 |
| English learners | 7.2% | 8.6% |
| Students with disabilities | 19.4% | 20.1% |
| White | 66.5% | 64.5% |
| Asian | 5% | 11.5% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 15.8% | 11.8% |
| Black/African American | 7.7% | 6.3% |
| Multi-race | 4.5% | 5.8% |
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.