Dedham vs Needham Schools
How the two districts, about 4 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Needham ranks higher, #17 to Dedham's #112 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Needham students score higher: ELA 72% vs 45%, Math 76% vs 49% met expectations. Statewide: 40% and 41%.
- SAT: Needham averages 116 points higher (1270 vs 1154).
- Spending: Dedham spends $2,200 more per student ($27,129 vs $24,928).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Needham: single-family homes average $1.54M vs $811K. The average tax bill is $9,974 in Dedham and $16,690 in Needham.
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 | Needham | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 45% | 72% | 40% |
| 2025 | 44% | 74% | 42% |
| 2024 | 44% | 70% | 42% |
| 2023 | 48% | 70% | 45% |
| 2022 | 45% | 70% | 43% |
| 2021 | 51% | 74% | 48% |
| Year | Dedham | Needham | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 49% | 76% | 41% |
| 2025 | 47% | 75% | 41% |
| 2024 | 50% | 74% | 42% |
| 2023 | 50% | 71% | 42% |
| 2022 | 46% | 71% | 40% |
| 2021 | 41% | 65% | 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 | Needham | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,694 | 5,509 |
| English learners | 8.6% | 2.9% |
| Students with disabilities | 23.2% | 18.9% |
| White | 64.6% | 70.7% |
| Asian | 2.9% | 12.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 18.1% | 7.1% |
| Black/African American | 8.3% | 3.2% |
| Multi-race | 6% | 6.5% |
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.