Chelsea vs Winthrop Schools
How the two districts, about 3 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Winthrop ranks higher, #226 to Chelsea's #280 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Winthrop students score higher: ELA 40% vs 17%, Math 43% vs 21% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Winthrop averages 56 points higher (1097 vs 1041).
- Spending: Chelsea spends $5,099 more per student ($24,407 vs $19,308).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Winthrop: single-family homes average $744K vs $367K. The average tax bill is $4,214 in Chelsea and $8,293 in Winthrop.
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 | Winthrop | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 17% | 40% | 41% |
| 2025 | 18% | 44% | 43% |
| 2024 | 16% | 46% | 42% |
| 2023 | 18% | 47% | 45% |
| 2022 | 19% | 45% | 43% |
| 2021 | 24% | 49% | 49% |
| Year | Chelsea | Winthrop | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21% | 43% | 41% |
| 2025 | 20% | 42% | 41% |
| 2024 | 19% | 44% | 42% |
| 2023 | 17% | 42% | 42% |
| 2022 | 18% | 35% | 40% |
| 2021 | 12% | 30% | 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 | Winthrop | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 6,200 | 2,018 |
| English learners | 47.7% | 12.3% |
| Students with disabilities | 19.3% | 17.7% |
| White | 4.9% | 67.4% |
| Asian | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 89.9% | 28.1% |
| Black/African American | 4.3% | 1.6% |
| Multi-race | 0.4% | 1.9% |
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.