Brookline vs Needham Schools
How the two districts, about 6 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Neck and neck: Brookline ranks #19 and Needham #17 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Needham students score higher: ELA 72% vs 69%, Math 76% vs 74% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Brookline averages 31 points higher (1301 vs 1270).
- Spending: Brookline spends $2,837 more per student ($27,765 vs $24,928).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Brookline: single-family homes average $2.56M vs $1.54M. The average tax bill is $26,237 in Brookline and $16,690 in Needham.
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 | Needham | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 69% | 72% | 41% |
| 2025 | 72% | 74% | 43% |
| 2024 | 69% | 70% | 42% |
| 2023 | 72% | 70% | 45% |
| 2022 | 72% | 70% | 44% |
| 2021 | 73% | 74% | 49% |
| Year | Brookline | Needham | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 74% | 76% | 41% |
| 2025 | 73% | 75% | 42% |
| 2024 | 72% | 74% | 42% |
| 2023 | 72% | 71% | 42% |
| 2022 | 71% | 71% | 41% |
| 2021 | 66% | 65% | 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 | Needham | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 7,082 | 5,509 |
| English learners | 12.7% | 2.9% |
| Students with disabilities | 18.3% | 18.9% |
| White | 47.4% | 70.7% |
| Asian | 22.5% | 12.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 12.5% | 7.1% |
| Black/African American | 6.1% | 3.2% |
| Multi-race | 11.3% | 6.5% |
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.