Dracut vs Lowell Schools
How the two districts, about 3 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Dracut ranks higher, #180 to Lowell's #224 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Dracut students score higher: ELA 40% vs 28%, Math 39% vs 32% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Lowell averages 43 points higher (1090 vs 1047).
- Spending: Lowell spends $5,609 more per student ($22,085 vs $16,476).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Dracut: single-family homes average $593K vs $515K. The average tax bill is $5,737 in Dracut and $5,844 in Lowell.
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 | Dracut | Lowell | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 40% | 28% | 41% |
| 2025 | 41% | 28% | 42% |
| 2024 | 39% | 24% | 41% |
| 2023 | 40% | 27% | 44% |
| 2022 | 39% | 27% | 43% |
| 2021 | 46% | 28% | 48% |
| Year | Dracut | Lowell | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 39% | 32% | 41% |
| 2025 | 39% | 30% | 41% |
| 2024 | 39% | 29% | 42% |
| 2023 | 37% | 26% | 42% |
| 2022 | 36% | 25% | 40% |
| 2021 | 30% | 20% | 35% |
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
| Dracut | Lowell | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 3,544 | 14,899 |
| English learners | 7.1% | 28.2% |
| Students with disabilities | 17.6% | 20.7% |
| White | 58.6% | 18% |
| Asian | 11.6% | 25.6% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 17.8% | 42.6% |
| Black/African American | 9.7% | 9.5% |
| Multi-race | 2.1% | 4% |
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.