Dover-Sherborn vs Natick Schools
How the two districts, about 4 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Dover-Sherborn ranks higher, #12 to Natick's #43 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Dover-Sherborn students score higher: ELA 73% vs 61%, Math 76% vs 68% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Dover-Sherborn averages 82 points higher (1283 vs 1201).
- Spending: Dover-Sherborn spends $4,394 more per student ($26,167 vs $21,772).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Dover-Sherborn: single-family homes average $1.49M vs $938K. The average tax bill is $19,553 in Dover-Sherborn and $11,413 in Natick.
- Class size: Smaller in Dover-Sherborn: 15.5 students on average vs 18.1.
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 | Dover-Sherborn | Natick | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 73% | 61% | 41% |
| 2025 | 72% | 64% | 43% |
| 2024 | 68% | 63% | 42% |
| 2023 | 70% | 67% | 45% |
| 2022 | 71% | 64% | 44% |
| 2021 | 77% | 67% | 49% |
| Year | Dover-Sherborn | Natick | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 76% | 68% | 41% |
| 2025 | 73% | 65% | 41% |
| 2024 | 74% | 64% | 42% |
| 2023 | 72% | 67% | 42% |
| 2022 | 72% | 65% | 41% |
| 2021 | 76% | 56% | 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
| Dover-Sherborn | Natick | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 1,086 | 5,362 |
| English learners | 0.6% | 5.4% |
| Students with disabilities | 11.8% | 19.2% |
| White | 68.9% | 67.6% |
| Asian | 14.4% | 12.2% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 5.9% | 10.6% |
| Black/African American | 3.7% | 2.8% |
| Multi-race | 7% | 6.7% |
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.