Burlington vs Reading Schools
How the two districts, about 5 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Reading ranks higher, #32 to Burlington's #53 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Reading students score higher: ELA 62% vs 51%, Math 64% vs 56% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Close: Burlington averages 1181 and Reading 1175.
- Spending: Burlington spends $7,608 more per student ($27,732 vs $20,124).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Reading: single-family homes average $940K vs $820K. The average tax bill is $7,128 in Burlington and $10,300 in Reading.
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 | Burlington | Reading | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 51% | 62% | 41% |
| 2025 | 53% | 65% | 43% |
| 2024 | 50% | 63% | 41% |
| 2023 | 54% | 62% | 44% |
| 2022 | 52% | 63% | 43% |
| 2021 | 57% | 67% | 49% |
| Year | Burlington | Reading | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 56% | 64% | 41% |
| 2025 | 53% | 65% | 41% |
| 2024 | 55% | 64% | 42% |
| 2023 | 56% | 57% | 42% |
| 2022 | 52% | 59% | 40% |
| 2021 | 51% | 52% | 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
| Burlington | Reading | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 3,592 | 3,846 |
| English learners | 11.2% | 2.2% |
| Students with disabilities | 13.4% | 19.8% |
| White | 57% | 81.6% |
| Asian | 19.1% | 5.6% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 10.8% | 5.3% |
| Black/African American | 8.6% | 3.7% |
| Multi-race | 4.2% | 3.7% |
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.