Gardner vs Winchendon Schools
How the two districts, about 7 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Neck and neck: Gardner ranks #292 and Winchendon #285 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Mixed: Winchendon leads in ELA (27% vs 20%), Gardner in Math (20% vs 19%). Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Winchendon averages 23 points higher (935 vs 912).
- Spending: Similar: $18,539 per student in Gardner and $19,585 in Winchendon.
- Homes: Similar: single-family homes average $367K in Gardner and $372K in Winchendon. The average tax bill is $5,052 in Gardner and $4,720 in Winchendon.
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 | Gardner | Winchendon | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20% | 27% | 41% |
| 2025 | 23% | 27% | 43% |
| 2024 | 24% | 25% | 42% |
| 2023 | 26% | 27% | 45% |
| 2022 | 28% | 23% | 43% |
| 2021 | 29% | 33% | 48% |
| Year | Gardner | Winchendon | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20% | 19% | 41% |
| 2025 | 20% | 20% | 42% |
| 2024 | 22% | 18% | 42% |
| 2023 | 25% | 20% | 42% |
| 2022 | 26% | 18% | 40% |
| 2021 | 16% | 14% | 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
| Gardner | Winchendon | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,521 | 1,209 |
| English learners | 10.9% | 2.5% |
| Students with disabilities | 24.2% | 30.3% |
| White | 55% | 79.1% |
| Asian | 1.5% | 0.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 30.5% | 13.8% |
| Black/African American | 4.7% | 2.4% |
| Multi-race | 8% | 3.8% |
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.