Dartmouth vs Fairhaven Schools
How the two districts, about 6 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Dartmouth ranks higher, #116 to Fairhaven's #124 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Dartmouth students score higher: ELA 45% vs 40%, Math 48% vs 46% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Close: Dartmouth averages 1105 and Fairhaven 1115.
- Spending: Similar: $19,335 per student in Dartmouth and $18,260 in Fairhaven.
- Homes: Homes cost more in Dartmouth: single-family homes average $657K vs $476K. The average tax bill is $5,276 in Dartmouth and $4,374 in Fairhaven.
- Class size: Smaller in Fairhaven: 15.4 students on average vs 17.7.
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 | Dartmouth | Fairhaven | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 45% | 40% | 41% |
| 2025 | 52% | 44% | 42% |
| 2024 | 49% | 43% | 42% |
| 2023 | 53% | 45% | 44% |
| 2022 | 50% | 44% | 44% |
| 2021 | 56% | 53% | 48% |
| Year | Dartmouth | Fairhaven | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 48% | 46% | 41% |
| 2025 | 54% | 44% | 41% |
| 2024 | 55% | 52% | 42% |
| 2023 | 52% | 50% | 42% |
| 2022 | 53% | 50% | 40% |
| 2021 | 43% | 44% | 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
| Dartmouth | Fairhaven | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 3,281 | 1,737 |
| English learners | 1.5% | 2.2% |
| Students with disabilities | 22.2% | 17.1% |
| White | 81.3% | 80.5% |
| Asian | 1.7% | 1.9% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.7% | 9.4% |
| Black/African American | 1.9% | 2.5% |
| Multi-race | 7.2% | 5.3% |
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.