Bourne vs Sandwich Schools
How the two districts, about 6 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Sandwich ranks higher, #80 to Bourne's #233 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Sandwich students score higher: ELA 53% vs 35%, Math 55% vs 29% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Sandwich averages 104 points higher (1090 vs 986).
- Spending: Sandwich spends $2,519 more per student ($26,679 vs $24,160).
- Homes: Similar: single-family homes average $794K in Bourne and $767K in Sandwich. The average tax bill is $6,075 in Bourne and $7,818 in Sandwich.
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 | Bourne | Sandwich | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 35% | 53% | 41% |
| 2025 | 34% | 53% | 42% |
| 2024 | 32% | 52% | 41% |
| 2023 | 38% | 56% | 44% |
| 2022 | 32% | 50% | 43% |
| 2021 | 42% | 53% | 48% |
| Year | Bourne | Sandwich | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29% | 55% | 41% |
| 2025 | 31% | 53% | 41% |
| 2024 | 30% | 55% | 41% |
| 2023 | 28% | 56% | 41% |
| 2022 | 30% | 51% | 40% |
| 2021 | 29% | 40% | 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
| Bourne | Sandwich | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 1,520 | 2,137 |
| English learners | 2.3% | 1.6% |
| Students with disabilities | 20.5% | 22.7% |
| White | 79.6% | 86.3% |
| Asian | 2.1% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.7% | 6% |
| Black/African American | 2.6% | 1.4% |
| Multi-race | 7.4% | 2.9% |
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.