Dartmouth vs New Bedford Schools
How the two districts, about 7 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Dartmouth ranks higher, #116 to New Bedford's #258 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Dartmouth students score higher: ELA 45% vs 19%, Math 48% vs 19% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Dartmouth averages 49 points higher (1105 vs 1056).
- Spending: New Bedford spends $3,761 more per student ($23,096 vs $19,335).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Dartmouth: single-family homes average $657K vs $425K. The average tax bill is $5,276 in Dartmouth and $4,653 in New Bedford.
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 | New Bedford | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 45% | 19% | 41% |
| 2025 | 52% | 22% | 42% |
| 2024 | 49% | 21% | 42% |
| 2023 | 53% | 24% | 44% |
| 2022 | 50% | 24% | 44% |
| 2021 | 56% | 28% | 48% |
| Year | Dartmouth | New Bedford | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 48% | 19% | 41% |
| 2025 | 54% | 19% | 41% |
| 2024 | 55% | 19% | 42% |
| 2023 | 52% | 21% | 42% |
| 2022 | 53% | 21% | 40% |
| 2021 | 43% | 17% | 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 | New Bedford | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 3,281 | 12,851 |
| English learners | 1.5% | 27.2% |
| Students with disabilities | 22.2% | 24.6% |
| White | 81.3% | 31% |
| Asian | 1.7% | 0.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.7% | 45.7% |
| Black/African American | 1.9% | 16.5% |
| Multi-race | 7.2% | 5.8% |
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.