Chelmsford vs Westford Schools
How the two districts, about 4 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Westford ranks higher, #38 to Chelmsford's #83 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Westford students score higher: ELA 60% vs 55%, Math 69% vs 56% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Westford averages 82 points higher (1271 vs 1189).
- Spending: Similar: $18,641 per student in Chelmsford and $19,263 in Westford.
- Homes: Homes cost more in Westford: single-family homes average $852K vs $695K. The average tax bill is $9,219 in Chelmsford and $11,171 in Westford.
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 | Chelmsford | Westford | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 55% | 60% | 41% |
| 2025 | 59% | 64% | 43% |
| 2024 | 56% | 65% | 42% |
| 2023 | 57% | 68% | 44% |
| 2022 | 58% | 68% | 43% |
| 2021 | 64% | 75% | 49% |
| Year | Chelmsford | Westford | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 56% | 69% | 41% |
| 2025 | 52% | 71% | 41% |
| 2024 | 57% | 72% | 42% |
| 2023 | 53% | 73% | 42% |
| 2022 | 53% | 73% | 40% |
| 2021 | 46% | 68% | 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
| Chelmsford | Westford | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 5,151 | 4,643 |
| English learners | 5.1% | 3.8% |
| Students with disabilities | 20.3% | 18.3% |
| White | 62% | 56.5% |
| Asian | 19.2% | 33.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 9.4% | 5.1% |
| Black/African American | 4.4% | 2.6% |
| Multi-race | 4.5% | 2.1% |
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.