Groton-Dunstable vs Harvard Schools
How the two districts, about 10 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Neck and neck: Groton-Dunstable ranks #27 and Harvard #21 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Harvard students score higher: ELA 70% vs 55%, Math 69% vs 61% met expectations. Statewide: 40% and 41%.
- SAT: Harvard averages 65 points higher (1277 vs 1212).
- Spending: Harvard spends $3,275 more per student ($25,306 vs $22,031).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Harvard: single-family homes average $918K vs $753K. The average tax bill is $10,618 in Groton-Dunstable and $14,562 in Harvard.
- Class size: Smaller in Harvard: 16.2 students on average vs 18.6.
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 | Groton-Dunstable | Harvard | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 55% | 70% | 40% |
| 2025 | 61% | 73% | 43% |
| 2024 | 56% | 74% | 42% |
| 2023 | 65% | 76% | 44% |
| 2022 | 63% | 76% | 44% |
| 2021 | 68% | 79% | 49% |
| Year | Groton-Dunstable | Harvard | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 61% | 69% | 41% |
| 2025 | 60% | 67% | 41% |
| 2024 | 61% | 70% | 42% |
| 2023 | 63% | 72% | 42% |
| 2022 | 63% | 73% | 40% |
| 2021 | 61% | 67% | 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
| Groton-Dunstable | Harvard | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,324 | 1,019 |
| English learners | 2.1% | 3.1% |
| Students with disabilities | 18.8% | 17.6% |
| White | 80.6% | 70.9% |
| Asian | 8.4% | 14.3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 4.6% | 6.2% |
| Black/African American | 2.1% | 2% |
| Multi-race | 3.9% | 6.4% |
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.