Harvard vs Westford Schools
How the two districts, about 9 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Harvard ranks higher, #21 to Westford's #38 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Harvard students score higher: ELA 70% vs 60%, Math 69% vs 69% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 42%.
- SAT: Close: Harvard averages 1277 and Westford 1271.
- Spending: Harvard spends $6,044 more per student ($25,306 vs $19,263).
- Homes: Similar: single-family homes average $918K in Harvard and $852K in Westford. The average tax bill is $14,562 in Harvard and $11,171 in Westford.
- Class size: Smaller in Harvard: 16.2 students on average vs 18.7.
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 | Harvard | Westford | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 70% | 60% | 41% |
| 2025 | 73% | 64% | 43% |
| 2024 | 74% | 65% | 42% |
| 2023 | 76% | 68% | 45% |
| 2022 | 76% | 68% | 44% |
| 2021 | 79% | 75% | 49% |
| Year | Harvard | Westford | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 69% | 69% | 42% |
| 2025 | 67% | 71% | 41% |
| 2024 | 70% | 72% | 42% |
| 2023 | 72% | 73% | 42% |
| 2022 | 73% | 73% | 41% |
| 2021 | 67% | 68% | 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
| Harvard | Westford | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 1,019 | 4,643 |
| English learners | 3.1% | 3.8% |
| Students with disabilities | 17.6% | 18.3% |
| White | 70.9% | 56.5% |
| Asian | 14.3% | 33.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 6.2% | 5.1% |
| Black/African American | 2% | 2.6% |
| Multi-race | 6.4% | 2.1% |
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.