Haverhill vs Lawrence Schools
How the two districts, about 7 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Haverhill ranks higher, #218 to Lawrence's #296 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Haverhill students score higher: ELA 27% vs 17%, Math 29% vs 17% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Haverhill averages 263 points higher (1101 vs 838).
- Spending: Lawrence spends $3,134 more per student ($23,487 vs $20,353).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Haverhill: single-family homes average $562K vs $479K. The average tax bill is $5,962 in Haverhill and $4,140 in Lawrence.
- Class size: Smaller in Haverhill: 15.9 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 | Haverhill | Lawrence | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 27% | 17% | 41% |
| 2025 | 28% | 18% | 43% |
| 2024 | 26% | 16% | 41% |
| 2023 | 29% | 19% | 44% |
| 2022 | 27% | 18% | 43% |
| 2021 | 34% | 19% | 48% |
| Year | Haverhill | Lawrence | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29% | 17% | 41% |
| 2025 | 29% | 18% | 41% |
| 2024 | 28% | 18% | 42% |
| 2023 | 26% | 17% | 42% |
| 2022 | 24% | 17% | 40% |
| 2021 | 20% | 10% | 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
| Haverhill | Lawrence | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 8,084 | 13,729 |
| English learners | 13.7% | 46.8% |
| Students with disabilities | 24.8% | 20.6% |
| White | 39.1% | 2.3% |
| Asian | 1.6% | 0.9% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 49.4% | 94.7% |
| Black/African American | 7.2% | 1.7% |
| Multi-race | 2.6% | 0.3% |
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.