Chelsea vs Malden Schools
How the two districts, about 3 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Malden ranks higher, #175 to Chelsea's #280 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Malden students score higher: ELA 35% vs 17%, Math 34% vs 21% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Malden averages 19 points higher (1060 vs 1041).
- Spending: Chelsea spends $2,879 more per student ($24,407 vs $21,528).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Malden: single-family homes average $434K vs $367K. The average tax bill is $4,214 in Chelsea and $4,952 in Malden.
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 | Chelsea | Malden | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 17% | 35% | 41% |
| 2025 | 18% | 35% | 43% |
| 2024 | 16% | 36% | 42% |
| 2023 | 18% | 38% | 45% |
| 2022 | 19% | 38% | 43% |
| 2021 | 24% | 42% | 49% |
| Year | Chelsea | Malden | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21% | 34% | 41% |
| 2025 | 20% | 33% | 41% |
| 2024 | 19% | 36% | 42% |
| 2023 | 17% | 33% | 42% |
| 2022 | 18% | 32% | 40% |
| 2021 | 12% | 26% | 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
| Chelsea | Malden | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 6,200 | 6,493 |
| English learners | 47.7% | 31.2% |
| Students with disabilities | 19.3% | 18.8% |
| White | 4.9% | 21.3% |
| Asian | 0.4% | 19.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 89.9% | 31.8% |
| Black/African American | 4.3% | 22.1% |
| Multi-race | 0.4% | 4.4% |
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.