Grafton vs Northbridge Schools
How the two districts, about 6 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Grafton ranks higher, #85 to Northbridge's #155 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Grafton students score higher: ELA 52% vs 35%, Math 55% vs 35% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Grafton averages 116 points higher (1153 vs 1037).
- Spending: Northbridge spends $1,550 more per student ($18,761 vs $17,211).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Grafton: single-family homes average $664K vs $509K. The average tax bill is $9,086 in Grafton and $5,922 in Northbridge.
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 | Northbridge | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 52% | 35% | 41% |
| 2025 | 54% | 36% | 43% |
| 2024 | 55% | 35% | 42% |
| 2023 | 57% | 34% | 45% |
| 2022 | 54% | 35% | 43% |
| 2021 | 60% | 43% | 49% |
| Year | Grafton | Northbridge | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 55% | 35% | 41% |
| 2025 | 54% | 35% | 41% |
| 2024 | 57% | 38% | 42% |
| 2023 | 55% | 36% | 42% |
| 2022 | 52% | 34% | 40% |
| 2021 | 50% | 28% | 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 | Northbridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 3,161 | 1,856 |
| English learners | 3.4% | 4.6% |
| Students with disabilities | 19.3% | 23.2% |
| White | 67.2% | 78.7% |
| Asian | 16.1% | 1.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 9.6% | 15.2% |
| Black/African American | 3.2% | 2.2% |
| Multi-race | 3.2% | 2.5% |
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.