Hanover vs Norwell Schools
How the two districts, about 4 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Norwell ranks higher, #20 to Hanover's #70 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Norwell students score higher: ELA 67% vs 56%, Math 67% vs 56% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Close: Hanover averages 1137 and Norwell 1144.
- Spending: Norwell spends $3,079 more per student ($21,154 vs $18,075).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Norwell: single-family homes average $1.07M vs $814K. The average tax bill is $10,149 in Hanover and $13,675 in Norwell.
- Class size: Smaller in Norwell: 16.9 students on average vs 19.8.
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 | Hanover | Norwell | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 56% | 67% | 41% |
| 2025 | 57% | 68% | 42% |
| 2024 | 58% | 65% | 41% |
| 2023 | 60% | 68% | 44% |
| 2022 | 56% | 65% | 43% |
| 2021 | 62% | 70% | 48% |
| Year | Hanover | Norwell | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 56% | 67% | 41% |
| 2025 | 58% | 69% | 41% |
| 2024 | 60% | 73% | 42% |
| 2023 | 59% | 69% | 42% |
| 2022 | 55% | 67% | 40% |
| 2021 | 54% | 61% | 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
| Hanover | Norwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,579 | 2,199 |
| English learners | 1.7% | 0.5% |
| Students with disabilities | 22.2% | 15.1% |
| White | 90.6% | 89.5% |
| Asian | 2% | 2.8% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 3.7% | 2% |
| Black/African American | 1.4% | 0.6% |
| Multi-race | 2.4% | 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.