Groton-Dunstable vs North Middlesex Schools
How the two districts, about 10 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Groton-Dunstable ranks higher, #27 to North Middlesex's #129 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Groton-Dunstable students score higher: ELA 55% vs 37%, Math 61% vs 36% met expectations. Statewide: 40% and 41%.
- SAT: Groton-Dunstable averages 115 points higher (1212 vs 1097).
- Spending: Similar: $22,031 per student in Groton-Dunstable and $20,548 in North Middlesex.
- Homes: Homes cost more in Groton-Dunstable: single-family homes average $753K vs $472K. The average tax bill is $10,618 in Groton-Dunstable and $6,754 in North Middlesex.
- Class size: Smaller in Groton-Dunstable: 18.6 students on average vs 20.7.
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 | North Middlesex | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 55% | 37% | 40% |
| 2025 | 61% | 42% | 43% |
| 2024 | 56% | 39% | 42% |
| 2023 | 65% | 47% | 44% |
| 2022 | 63% | 48% | 44% |
| 2021 | 68% | 54% | 49% |
| Year | Groton-Dunstable | North Middlesex | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 61% | 36% | 41% |
| 2025 | 60% | 37% | 41% |
| 2024 | 61% | 37% | 42% |
| 2023 | 63% | 37% | 42% |
| 2022 | 63% | 40% | 40% |
| 2021 | 61% | 36% | 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 | North Middlesex | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,324 | 2,917 |
| English learners | 2.1% | 3.8% |
| Students with disabilities | 18.8% | 26.2% |
| White | 80.6% | 79.9% |
| Asian | 8.4% | 2.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 4.6% | 10.1% |
| Black/African American | 2.1% | 3.6% |
| Multi-race | 3.9% | 3.7% |
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.