Grafton vs Hopedale Schools
How the two districts, about 10 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Hopedale ranks higher, #76 to Grafton's #85 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Grafton students score higher: ELA 52% vs 45%, Math 55% vs 49% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Grafton averages 35 points higher (1153 vs 1118).
- Spending: Hopedale spends $1,954 more per student ($19,166 vs $17,211).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Grafton: single-family homes average $664K vs $542K. The average tax bill is $9,086 in Grafton and $8,808 in Hopedale.
- Class size: Smaller in Hopedale: 15.9 students on average vs 19.1.
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 | Grafton | Hopedale | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 52% | 45% | 41% |
| 2025 | 54% | 47% | 43% |
| 2024 | 55% | 45% | 42% |
| 2023 | 57% | 47% | 45% |
| 2022 | 54% | 49% | 43% |
| 2021 | 60% | 57% | 49% |
| Year | Grafton | Hopedale | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 55% | 49% | 41% |
| 2025 | 54% | 50% | 41% |
| 2024 | 57% | 53% | 42% |
| 2023 | 55% | 50% | 42% |
| 2022 | 52% | 47% | 40% |
| 2021 | 50% | 46% | 36% |
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
| Grafton | Hopedale | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 3,161 | 1,120 |
| English learners | 3.4% | 7.5% |
| Students with disabilities | 19.3% | 19.8% |
| White | 67.2% | 75.7% |
| Asian | 16.1% | 2.1% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 9.6% | 15% |
| Black/African American | 3.2% | 1% |
| Multi-race | 3.2% | 5.8% |
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.