Dedham vs Stoughton Schools
How the two districts, about 10 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Dedham ranks higher, #112 to Stoughton's #133 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Dedham students score higher: ELA 45% vs 37%, Math 49% vs 38% met expectations. Statewide: 40% and 41%.
- SAT: Dedham averages 57 points higher (1154 vs 1097).
- Spending: Dedham spends $6,934 more per student ($27,129 vs $20,194).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Dedham: single-family homes average $811K vs $606K. The average tax bill is $9,974 in Dedham and $7,157 in Stoughton.
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 | Stoughton | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 45% | 37% | 40% |
| 2025 | 44% | 39% | 42% |
| 2024 | 44% | 39% | 42% |
| 2023 | 48% | 40% | 45% |
| 2022 | 45% | 42% | 43% |
| 2021 | 51% | 44% | 48% |
| Year | Dedham | Stoughton | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 49% | 38% | 41% |
| 2025 | 47% | 38% | 41% |
| 2024 | 50% | 38% | 42% |
| 2023 | 50% | 37% | 42% |
| 2022 | 46% | 37% | 40% |
| 2021 | 41% | 31% | 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 | Stoughton | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,694 | 3,750 |
| English learners | 8.6% | 14% |
| Students with disabilities | 23.2% | 20.7% |
| White | 64.6% | 43.5% |
| Asian | 2.9% | 6% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 18.1% | 13.6% |
| Black/African American | 8.3% | 30.2% |
| Multi-race | 6% | 6.1% |
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.