Bedford vs Winchester Schools
How the two districts, about 8 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Neck and neck: Bedford ranks #10 and Winchester #6 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Winchester students score higher: ELA 71% vs 68%, Math 77% vs 68% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Winchester averages 34 points higher (1295 vs 1261).
- Spending: Bedford spends $5,478 more per student ($25,410 vs $19,933).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Winchester: single-family homes average $1.65M vs $1.04M. The average tax bill is $12,985 in Bedford and $18,272 in Winchester.
- Class size: Smaller in Bedford: 15.7 students on average vs 19.
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 | Winchester | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 68% | 71% | 41% |
| 2025 | 71% | 72% | 43% |
| 2024 | 70% | 69% | 42% |
| 2023 | 72% | 71% | 45% |
| 2022 | 69% | 72% | 43% |
| 2021 | 74% | 75% | 49% |
| Year | Bedford | Winchester | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 68% | 77% | 41% |
| 2025 | 67% | 74% | 41% |
| 2024 | 71% | 75% | 42% |
| 2023 | 69% | 72% | 42% |
| 2022 | 69% | 70% | 41% |
| 2021 | 68% | 64% | 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 | Winchester | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,503 | 4,413 |
| English learners | 5% | 2.6% |
| Students with disabilities | 17.8% | 16.8% |
| White | 55.9% | 65.1% |
| Asian | 21.9% | 21.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.6% | 4.4% |
| Black/African American | 6.1% | 1.4% |
| Multi-race | 8.4% | 7.7% |
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.