Dudley-Charlton Reg vs Southbridge Schools
How the two districts, about 5 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Dudley-Charlton Reg ranks higher, #206 to Southbridge's #326 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Dudley-Charlton Reg students score higher: ELA 32% vs 16%, Math 32% vs 15% met expectations. Statewide: 40% and 41%.
- SAT: Dudley-Charlton Reg averages 296 points higher (1088 vs 792).
- Spending: Southbridge spends $6,197 more per student ($23,769 vs $17,572).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Dudley-Charlton Reg: single-family homes average $469K vs $340K. The average tax bill is $4,936 in Dudley-Charlton Reg and $5,070 in Southbridge.
- Class size: Smaller in Southbridge: 15.8 students on average vs 18.9.
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 | Dudley-Charlton Reg | Southbridge | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 32% | 16% | 40% |
| 2025 | 37% | 13% | 43% |
| 2024 | 36% | 12% | 42% |
| 2023 | 42% | 13% | 44% |
| 2022 | 45% | 13% | 43% |
| 2021 | 52% | 17% | 48% |
| Year | Dudley-Charlton Reg | Southbridge | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 32% | 15% | 41% |
| 2025 | 32% | 10% | 41% |
| 2024 | 34% | 11% | 42% |
| 2023 | 40% | 10% | 42% |
| 2022 | 38% | 10% | 40% |
| 2021 | 34% | 5% | 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
| Dudley-Charlton Reg | Southbridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 3,496 | 1,836 |
| English learners | 3.1% | 19.8% |
| Students with disabilities | 20.5% | 28.1% |
| White | 77% | 24.3% |
| Asian | 0.9% | 1.1% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 14.5% | 66.4% |
| Black/African American | 3.6% | 6.3% |
| Multi-race | 3.9% | 1.5% |
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.