Gill-Montague vs Pioneer Valley Schools
How the two districts, about 7 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Pioneer Valley ranks higher, #203 to Gill-Montague's #255 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Pioneer Valley students score higher: ELA 33% vs 26%, Math 36% vs 23% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Close: Gill-Montague averages 1070 and Pioneer Valley 1068.
- Spending: Pioneer Valley spends $2,115 more per student ($26,037 vs $23,922).
- Homes: Similar: single-family homes average $326K in Gill-Montague and $340K in Pioneer Valley. The average tax bill is $4,928 in Gill-Montague and $4,894 in Pioneer Valley.
- Class size: Smaller in Gill-Montague: 12.5 students on average vs 14.5.
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 | Gill-Montague | Pioneer Valley | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26% | 33% | 41% |
| 2025 | 24% | 36% | 42% |
| 2024 | 24% | 33% | 41% |
| 2023 | 27% | 36% | 44% |
| 2022 | 28% | 38% | 43% |
| 2021 | 31% | 45% | 48% |
| Year | Gill-Montague | Pioneer Valley | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 23% | 36% | 41% |
| 2025 | 23% | 32% | 41% |
| 2024 | 27% | 34% | 41% |
| 2023 | 24% | 30% | 42% |
| 2022 | 24% | 26% | 40% |
| 2021 | 17% | 25% | 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
| Gill-Montague | Pioneer Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 841 | 580 |
| English learners | 6.2% | 0.5% |
| Students with disabilities | 27.6% | 23.8% |
| White | 73.8% | 91.4% |
| Asian | 0.7% | 0.2% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 16.3% | 3.9% |
| Black/African American | 2.4% | 0.2% |
| Multi-race | 6.8% | 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.