Brookline vs Cambridge Schools
How the two districts, about 4 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Brookline ranks higher, #19 to Cambridge's #69 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Brookline students score higher: ELA 69% vs 59%, Math 74% vs 58% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Brookline averages 135 points higher (1301 vs 1166).
- Spending: Cambridge spends $11,447 more per student ($39,212 vs $27,765).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Brookline: single-family homes average $2.56M vs $2.05M. The average tax bill is $26,237 in Brookline and $13,680 in Cambridge.
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 | Brookline | Cambridge | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 69% | 59% | 41% |
| 2025 | 72% | 58% | 43% |
| 2024 | 69% | 56% | 42% |
| 2023 | 72% | 60% | 45% |
| 2022 | 72% | 55% | 44% |
| 2021 | 73% | 59% | 49% |
| Year | Brookline | Cambridge | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 74% | 58% | 41% |
| 2025 | 73% | 56% | 42% |
| 2024 | 72% | 55% | 42% |
| 2023 | 72% | 54% | 42% |
| 2022 | 71% | 49% | 41% |
| 2021 | 66% | 42% | 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
| Brookline | Cambridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 7,082 | 7,038 |
| English learners | 12.7% | 12.3% |
| Students with disabilities | 18.3% | 21.4% |
| White | 47.4% | 36.2% |
| Asian | 22.5% | 14.8% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 12.5% | 14.5% |
| Black/African American | 6.1% | 22.5% |
| Multi-race | 11.3% | 11.7% |
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.