Bellingham vs Franklin Schools
How the two districts, about 3 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Franklin ranks higher, #144 to Bellingham's #176 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Franklin students score higher: ELA 54% vs 28%, Math 61% vs 31% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Franklin averages 80 points higher (1179 vs 1099).
- Spending: Bellingham spends $2,145 more per student ($21,558 vs $19,414).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Franklin: single-family homes average $731K vs $490K. The average tax bill is $6,073 in Bellingham and $8,353 in Franklin.
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 | Bellingham | Franklin | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 28% | 54% | 41% |
| 2025 | 31% | 58% | 43% |
| 2024 | 28% | 57% | 42% |
| 2023 | 36% | 57% | 45% |
| 2022 | 35% | 57% | 44% |
| 2021 | 42% | 63% | 48% |
| Year | Bellingham | Franklin | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31% | 61% | 41% |
| 2025 | 34% | 59% | 41% |
| 2024 | 32% | 60% | 42% |
| 2023 | 34% | 59% | 42% |
| 2022 | 35% | 57% | 40% |
| 2021 | 30% | 50% | 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
| Bellingham | Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,058 | 4,620 |
| English learners | 6.1% | 3.7% |
| Students with disabilities | 23.7% | 19.9% |
| White | 70% | 75.9% |
| Asian | 3.4% | 9.5% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 18.6% | 7.8% |
| Black/African American | 3.5% | 3.3% |
| Multi-race | 3.8% | 2.8% |
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.