School district comparison · MCAS 2026 · other data 2024-25
Boston vs Chelsea Schools
How the two districts, about 4 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Boston ranks higher, #246 to Chelsea's #280 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Boston students score higher: ELA 30% vs 17%, Math 30% vs 21% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Chelsea averages 140 points higher (1041 vs 901).
- Spending: Boston spends $9,447 more per student ($33,854 vs $24,407).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Boston: single-family homes average $615K vs $367K. The average tax bill is $7,627 in Boston and $4,214 in Chelsea.
- Class size: Smaller in Boston: 16 students on average vs 20.1.
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.
ELA by year
| Year | Boston | Chelsea | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30% | 17% | 41% |
| 2025 | 31% | 18% | 43% |
| 2024 | 29% | 16% | 42% |
| 2023 | 32% | 18% | 45% |
| 2022 | 31% | 19% | 44% |
| 2021 | 33% | 24% | 49% |
Math by year
| Year | Boston | Chelsea | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30% | 21% | 41% |
| 2025 | 29% | 20% | 42% |
| 2024 | 28% | 19% | 42% |
| 2023 | 28% | 17% | 42% |
| 2022 | 27% | 18% | 41% |
| 2021 | 22% | 12% | 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
| Boston | Chelsea | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 47,674 | 6,200 |
| English learners | 32.1% | 47.7% |
| Students with disabilities | 23.8% | 19.3% |
| White | 14.5% | 4.9% |
| Asian | 8% | 0.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 44.4% | 89.9% |
| Black/African American | 28.9% | 4.3% |
| Multi-race | 3.9% | 0.4% |
Homes & taxes
Boston
Suffolk County · Greater Boston — Inside I-95
Avg single-family home value$615KMA median $588K
Avg property tax bill$7,627MA median $6,814
Tax rate$12.40 per $1,000MA median $12.40
Income per person$67,404MA median $47,872
Local kids in public school86.4%
Town bond ratingAAA
Chelsea
Suffolk County · Greater Boston — Inside I-95
Avg single-family home value$367KMA median $588K
Avg property tax bill$4,214MA median $6,814
Tax rate$11.50 per $1,000MA median $12.40
Income per person$26,572MA median $47,872
Local kids in public school99.3%
Town bond ratingAA
Free cash reserves12.6% of budget
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.
The schools
Boston
High schools · rank of 335
Boston Latin SchoolSAT 1313#11 ABoston Latin AcademySAT 1135#86 BO'Bryant School of Math & ScienceSAT 1128#98 BFenway High SchoolSAT 892#228 C+Boston Arts AcademySAT 972#229 C+New Mission High SchoolSAT 932#239 CQuincy Upper SchoolSAT 918#245 CExcel High SchoolSAT 947#272 CSnowden International High SchoolSAT 839#304 C-Margarita Muniz AcademySAT 758#311 C-TechBoston AcademySAT 814#312 C-East Boston High SchoolSAT 916#315 C-Ruth Batson AcademySAT 779#316 C-Boston International High School & Newcomers AcademySAT 848#319 C-Charlestown High SchoolSAT 854#323 C-Another Course To CollegeSAT 806#324 C-Community Academy of Science and HealthSAT 829#325 C-Henderson K-12 Inclusion School UpperSAT 837#328 C-Lyon High SchoolSAT 934#329 C-Albert D Holland School of TechnologySAT 833#330 C-English High SchoolSAT 795#332 C-Brighton High SchoolSAT 815#333 C-Madison Park Technical Vocational High SchoolSAT 825#334 C-Elementary schools · rank of 895
Eliot K-8 Innovation School#27 AManning Elementary School#68 AHarvard-Kent Elementary School#87 A-Warren-Prescott K-8 School#101 A-Lyndon K-8 School#172 B+Perry Elementary School#196 B+Quincy Elementary School#271 BMozart Elementary School#329 BWinship Elementary School#330 BKilmer K-8 School#373 B-Bradley Elementary School#374 B-Bates Elementary School#375 B-Curley K-8 School#426 B-Hernandez Elementary School#427 B-Hale Elementary School#457 B-Murphy K-8 School#492 B-Kenny Elementary School#493 C+Haley Pilot School#526 C+Ohrenberger School#564 C+Lyon Elementary School#583 C+Kennedy John F Elementary School#584 C+Adams Elementary School#585 C+Mendell Elementary School#604 C+Roosevelt K-8 School#605 C+Otis Elementary School#606 C+Boston Teachers Union Elementary Pilot School#636 CEverett Elementary School#637 CMather Elementary School#638 CEllison-Parks Early Education School#662 CHolland Elementary School#663 CGrew Elementary School#688 CHurley K-8 School#689 CGuild Elementary School#708 CKennedy Patrick J Elementary School#709 CConley Elementary School#729 CMcKay K-8 School#753 CTobin Elementary School#754 CPerkins Elementary School#755 CDever Elementary School#756 CGardner Pilot Academy#757 CEdison Elementary School#758 CMildred Avenue K-8 School#759 CMattahunt Elementary School#777 C-Lee K-8 School#790 C-Mason Elementary School#791 C-Shaw-Taylor Elementary School#809 C-Holmes Elementary School#810 C-Winthrop Elementary School#811 C-Young Achievers Elementary School#812 C-Lee Academy#819 C-O'Donnell Elementary School#820 C-Chittick Elementary School#821 C-Channing Elementary School#822 C-Russell Elementary School#823 C-Hennigan Elementary School#833 C-Tynan Elementary School#834 C-Orchard Gardens K-8 School#835 C-Condon K-8 School#850 C-Mario Umana Academy#851 C-Clap Elementary School#859 C-Greenwood Sarah K-8 School#860 C-Ellis Elementary School#875 C-Higginson-Lewis K-8 School#876 C-Blackstone Elementary School#877 C-Trotter Elementary School#882 C-Sarah Roberts Elementary School#888 C-King Elementary School#889 C-Chelsea
High schools · rank of 335
Chelsea HighSAT 1041#284 CElementary schools · rank of 895
William A Berkowitz Elementary#545 C+Edgar F. Hooks Elementary#587 C+Frank M Sokolowski Elementary#868 C-George F. Kelly Elementary#885 C-