Dedham vs Milton Schools
How the two districts, about 5 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Milton ranks higher, #36 to Dedham's #112 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Milton students score higher: ELA 63% vs 45%, Math 63% vs 49% met expectations. Statewide: 40% and 41%.
- SAT: Milton averages 17 points higher (1171 vs 1154).
- Spending: Dedham spends $6,251 more per student ($27,129 vs $20,878).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Milton: single-family homes average $1.08M vs $811K. The average tax bill is $9,974 in Dedham and $12,769 in Milton.
- Class size: Smaller in Dedham: 16.5 students on average vs 20.
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 | Dedham | Milton | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 45% | 63% | 40% |
| 2025 | 44% | 65% | 42% |
| 2024 | 44% | 64% | 42% |
| 2023 | 48% | 65% | 45% |
| 2022 | 45% | 59% | 43% |
| 2021 | 51% | 66% | 48% |
| Year | Dedham | Milton | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 49% | 63% | 41% |
| 2025 | 47% | 62% | 41% |
| 2024 | 50% | 62% | 42% |
| 2023 | 50% | 62% | 42% |
| 2022 | 46% | 60% | 40% |
| 2021 | 41% | 53% | 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
| Dedham | Milton | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,694 | 4,381 |
| English learners | 8.6% | 3.1% |
| Students with disabilities | 23.2% | 16.4% |
| White | 64.6% | 65% |
| Asian | 2.9% | 9.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 18.1% | 6.9% |
| Black/African American | 8.3% | 11.7% |
| Multi-race | 6% | 6.9% |
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.