Beverly vs Hamilton-Wenham Schools
How the two districts, about 4 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Hamilton-Wenham ranks higher, #47 to Beverly's #87 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Hamilton-Wenham students score higher: ELA 64% vs 45%, Math 67% vs 50% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Hamilton-Wenham averages 108 points higher (1221 vs 1113).
- Spending: Hamilton-Wenham spends $4,428 more per student ($24,540 vs $20,112).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Hamilton-Wenham: single-family homes average $941K vs $817K. The average tax bill is $8,834 in Beverly and $14,629 in Hamilton-Wenham.
- Class size: Smaller in Hamilton-Wenham: 15.9 students on average vs 19.7.
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 | Beverly | Hamilton-Wenham | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 45% | 64% | 41% |
| 2025 | 45% | 65% | 42% |
| 2024 | 44% | 64% | 42% |
| 2023 | 47% | 66% | 44% |
| 2022 | 45% | 65% | 43% |
| 2021 | 51% | 75% | 49% |
| Year | Beverly | Hamilton-Wenham | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 50% | 67% | 41% |
| 2025 | 49% | 63% | 41% |
| 2024 | 49% | 59% | 42% |
| 2023 | 46% | 59% | 42% |
| 2022 | 43% | 60% | 40% |
| 2021 | 36% | 56% | 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
| Beverly | Hamilton-Wenham | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 4,460 | 1,678 |
| English learners | 5.7% | 0.8% |
| Students with disabilities | 22.1% | 17.4% |
| White | 72.4% | 86.3% |
| Asian | 2.3% | 3.3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 16.2% | 6.3% |
| Black/African American | 4.4% | 0.8% |
| Multi-race | 4.6% | 3.2% |
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.