Barnstable vs Sandwich Schools
How the two districts, about 8 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Sandwich ranks higher, #80 to Barnstable's #196 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Sandwich students score higher: ELA 53% vs 27%, Math 55% vs 26% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Sandwich averages 40 points higher (1090 vs 1050).
- Spending: Sandwich spends $3,865 more per student ($26,679 vs $22,814).
- Homes: Similar: single-family homes average $823K in Barnstable and $767K in Sandwich. The average tax bill is $5,599 in Barnstable and $7,818 in Sandwich.
- Class size: Smaller in Barnstable: 15.4 students on average vs 17.9.
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 | Barnstable | Sandwich | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 27% | 53% | 41% |
| 2025 | 29% | 53% | 43% |
| 2024 | 30% | 52% | 42% |
| 2023 | 35% | 56% | 45% |
| 2022 | 34% | 50% | 43% |
| 2021 | 43% | 53% | 49% |
| Year | Barnstable | Sandwich | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26% | 55% | 41% |
| 2025 | 27% | 53% | 42% |
| 2024 | 29% | 55% | 42% |
| 2023 | 30% | 56% | 42% |
| 2022 | 28% | 51% | 40% |
| 2021 | 25% | 40% | 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
| Barnstable | Sandwich | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 4,635 | 2,137 |
| English learners | 25.8% | 1.6% |
| Students with disabilities | 18.4% | 22.7% |
| White | 46.4% | 86.3% |
| Asian | 2.1% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 33.6% | 6% |
| Black/African American | 10.1% | 1.4% |
| Multi-race | 7.3% | 2.9% |
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.