Fitchburg vs North Middlesex Schools
How the two districts, about 7 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: North Middlesex ranks higher, #129 to Fitchburg's #236 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: North Middlesex students score higher: ELA 37% vs 22%, Math 36% vs 21% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: North Middlesex averages 137 points higher (1097 vs 960).
- Spending: Similar: $21,840 per student in Fitchburg and $20,548 in North Middlesex.
- Homes: Homes cost more in North Middlesex: single-family homes average $472K vs $390K. The average tax bill is $5,189 in Fitchburg and $6,754 in North Middlesex.
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 | Fitchburg | North Middlesex | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 22% | 37% | 41% |
| 2025 | 26% | 42% | 43% |
| 2024 | 26% | 39% | 41% |
| 2023 | 30% | 47% | 44% |
| 2022 | 28% | 48% | 43% |
| 2021 | 30% | 54% | 49% |
| Year | Fitchburg | North Middlesex | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21% | 36% | 41% |
| 2025 | 23% | 37% | 41% |
| 2024 | 24% | 37% | 42% |
| 2023 | 24% | 37% | 42% |
| 2022 | 22% | 40% | 40% |
| 2021 | 15% | 36% | 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
| Fitchburg | North Middlesex | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 5,446 | 2,917 |
| English learners | 23.6% | 3.8% |
| Students with disabilities | 22.1% | 26.2% |
| White | 22% | 79.9% |
| Asian | 3.9% | 2.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 57.9% | 10.1% |
| Black/African American | 9.6% | 3.6% |
| Multi-race | 6.2% | 3.7% |
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.