Fairhaven vs New Bedford Schools
How the two districts, about 4 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Fairhaven ranks higher, #124 to New Bedford's #258 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Fairhaven students score higher: ELA 40% vs 19%, Math 46% vs 19% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 42%.
- SAT: Fairhaven averages 59 points higher (1115 vs 1056).
- Spending: New Bedford spends $4,837 more per student ($23,096 vs $18,260).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Fairhaven: single-family homes average $476K vs $425K. The average tax bill is $4,374 in Fairhaven and $4,653 in New Bedford.
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 | Fairhaven | New Bedford | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 40% | 19% | 41% |
| 2025 | 44% | 22% | 43% |
| 2024 | 43% | 21% | 42% |
| 2023 | 45% | 24% | 45% |
| 2022 | 44% | 24% | 43% |
| 2021 | 53% | 28% | 50% |
| Year | Fairhaven | New Bedford | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 46% | 19% | 42% |
| 2025 | 44% | 19% | 41% |
| 2024 | 52% | 19% | 42% |
| 2023 | 50% | 21% | 42% |
| 2022 | 50% | 21% | 40% |
| 2021 | 44% | 17% | 37% |
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
| Fairhaven | New Bedford | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 1,737 | 12,851 |
| English learners | 2.2% | 27.2% |
| Students with disabilities | 17.1% | 24.6% |
| White | 80.5% | 31% |
| Asian | 1.9% | 0.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 9.4% | 45.7% |
| Black/African American | 2.5% | 16.5% |
| Multi-race | 5.3% | 5.8% |
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.