Bedford vs Burlington Schools
How the two districts, about 4 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Bedford ranks higher, #10 to Burlington's #53 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Bedford students score higher: ELA 68% vs 51%, Math 68% vs 56% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Bedford averages 80 points higher (1261 vs 1181).
- Spending: Burlington spends $2,321 more per student ($27,732 vs $25,410).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Bedford: single-family homes average $1.04M vs $820K. The average tax bill is $12,985 in Bedford and $7,128 in Burlington.
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 | Bedford | Burlington | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 68% | 51% | 41% |
| 2025 | 71% | 53% | 43% |
| 2024 | 70% | 50% | 42% |
| 2023 | 72% | 54% | 45% |
| 2022 | 69% | 52% | 43% |
| 2021 | 74% | 57% | 49% |
| Year | Bedford | Burlington | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 68% | 56% | 41% |
| 2025 | 67% | 53% | 41% |
| 2024 | 71% | 55% | 42% |
| 2023 | 69% | 56% | 42% |
| 2022 | 69% | 52% | 41% |
| 2021 | 68% | 51% | 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
| Bedford | Burlington | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,503 | 3,592 |
| English learners | 5% | 11.2% |
| Students with disabilities | 17.8% | 13.4% |
| White | 55.9% | 57% |
| Asian | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.6% | 10.8% |
| Black/African American | 6.1% | 8.6% |
| Multi-race | 8.4% | 4.2% |
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.