Fall River vs New Bedford Schools
How the two districts, about 9 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: New Bedford ranks higher, #258 to Fall River's #271 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Similar results: in Fall River, 20% met expectations in ELA and 18% in Math; in New Bedford, 19% and 19%. Statewide: 40% and 41%.
- SAT: New Bedford averages 82 points higher (1056 vs 974).
- Spending: Similar: $23,626 per student in Fall River and $23,096 in New Bedford.
- Homes: Similar: single-family homes average $405K in Fall River and $425K in New Bedford. The average tax bill is $4,651 in Fall River 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 | Fall River | New Bedford | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20% | 19% | 40% |
| 2025 | 21% | 22% | 42% |
| 2024 | 21% | 21% | 42% |
| 2023 | 24% | 24% | 44% |
| 2022 | 23% | 24% | 43% |
| 2021 | 28% | 28% | 48% |
| Year | Fall River | New Bedford | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 18% | 19% | 41% |
| 2025 | 18% | 19% | 41% |
| 2024 | 19% | 19% | 42% |
| 2023 | 20% | 21% | 42% |
| 2022 | 20% | 21% | 40% |
| 2021 | 17% | 17% | 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
| Fall River | New Bedford | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 11,790 | 12,851 |
| English learners | 28% | 27.2% |
| Students with disabilities | 25.2% | 24.6% |
| White | 38.3% | 31% |
| Asian | 2.5% | 0.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 34% | 45.7% |
| Black/African American | 17% | 16.5% |
| Multi-race | 7.9% | 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.