Gloucester vs Ipswich Schools
How the two districts, about 9 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Ipswich ranks higher, #39 to Gloucester's #228 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Ipswich students score higher: ELA 57% vs 34%, Math 57% vs 31% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Ipswich averages 51 points higher (1201 vs 1150).
- Spending: Ipswich spends $2,412 more per student ($25,451 vs $23,039).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Gloucester: single-family homes average $1.02M vs $903K. The average tax bill is $9,502 in Gloucester and $9,733 in Ipswich.
- Class size: Smaller in Ipswich: 15.5 students on average vs 17.5.
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 | Gloucester | Ipswich | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 34% | 57% | 41% |
| 2025 | 34% | 60% | 43% |
| 2024 | 33% | 56% | 42% |
| 2023 | 39% | 59% | 44% |
| 2022 | 38% | 58% | 44% |
| 2021 | 46% | 60% | 48% |
| Year | Gloucester | Ipswich | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31% | 57% | 41% |
| 2025 | 31% | 56% | 41% |
| 2024 | 31% | 57% | 42% |
| 2023 | 34% | 54% | 42% |
| 2022 | 35% | 54% | 41% |
| 2021 | 33% | 41% | 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 | Ipswich | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,873 | 1,567 |
| English learners | 10.6% | 3.6% |
| Students with disabilities | 26.4% | 20.9% |
| White | 74% | 82.8% |
| Asian | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 17.5% | 9.3% |
| Black/African American | 2.4% | 1.4% |
| Multi-race | 4.2% | 4.7% |
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.