Canton vs Milton Schools
How the two districts, about 5 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Milton ranks higher, #36 to Canton's #51 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Milton students score higher: ELA 63% vs 56%, Math 63% vs 60% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Milton averages 56 points higher (1171 vs 1115).
- Spending: Canton spends $2,661 more per student ($23,539 vs $20,878).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Milton: single-family homes average $1.08M vs $869K. The average tax bill is $8,468 in Canton and $12,769 in Milton.
- Class size: Smaller in Canton: 17.5 students on average vs 20.
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 | Canton | Milton | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 56% | 63% | 41% |
| 2025 | 59% | 65% | 43% |
| 2024 | 57% | 64% | 42% |
| 2023 | 56% | 65% | 44% |
| 2022 | 54% | 59% | 43% |
| 2021 | 63% | 66% | 48% |
| Year | Canton | Milton | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 60% | 63% | 41% |
| 2025 | 61% | 62% | 41% |
| 2024 | 61% | 62% | 42% |
| 2023 | 58% | 62% | 42% |
| 2022 | 53% | 60% | 40% |
| 2021 | 47% | 53% | 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
| Canton | Milton | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 3,324 | 4,381 |
| English learners | 4.2% | 3.1% |
| Students with disabilities | 17.3% | 16.4% |
| White | 60% | 65% |
| Asian | 10.9% | 9.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 8.6% | 6.9% |
| Black/African American | 13.4% | 11.7% |
| Multi-race | 6.7% | 6.9% |
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.