Gloucester vs Hamilton-Wenham Schools
How the two districts, about 9 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Hamilton-Wenham ranks higher, #47 to Gloucester's #228 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Hamilton-Wenham students score higher: ELA 64% vs 34%, Math 67% vs 31% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Hamilton-Wenham averages 71 points higher (1221 vs 1150).
- Spending: Similar: $23,039 per student in Gloucester and $24,540 in Hamilton-Wenham.
- Homes: Homes cost more in Gloucester: single-family homes average $1.02M vs $941K. The average tax bill is $9,502 in Gloucester and $14,629 in Hamilton-Wenham.
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 | Gloucester | Hamilton-Wenham | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 34% | 64% | 41% |
| 2025 | 34% | 65% | 43% |
| 2024 | 33% | 64% | 42% |
| 2023 | 39% | 66% | 44% |
| 2022 | 38% | 65% | 44% |
| 2021 | 46% | 75% | 48% |
| Year | Gloucester | Hamilton-Wenham | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31% | 67% | 41% |
| 2025 | 31% | 63% | 41% |
| 2024 | 31% | 59% | 42% |
| 2023 | 34% | 59% | 42% |
| 2022 | 35% | 60% | 41% |
| 2021 | 33% | 56% | 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
| Gloucester | Hamilton-Wenham | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,873 | 1,678 |
| English learners | 10.6% | 0.8% |
| Students with disabilities | 26.4% | 17.4% |
| White | 74% | 86.3% |
| Asian | 1.5% | 3.3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 17.5% | 6.3% |
| Black/African American | 2.4% | 0.8% |
| Multi-race | 4.2% | 3.2% |
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.