Holyoke vs South Hadley Schools
How the two districts, about 4 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: South Hadley ranks higher, #131 to Holyoke's #313 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: South Hadley students score higher: ELA 33% vs 12%, Math 29% vs 7% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: South Hadley averages 191 points higher (1182 vs 991).
- Spending: Holyoke spends $4,607 more per student ($24,807 vs $20,200).
- Homes: Homes cost more in South Hadley: single-family homes average $417K vs $305K. The average tax bill is $5,319 in Holyoke and $5,639 in South Hadley.
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 | Holyoke | South Hadley | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 12% | 33% | 41% |
| 2025 | 13% | 37% | 43% |
| 2024 | 10% | 39% | 42% |
| 2023 | 12% | 40% | 45% |
| 2022 | 12% | 36% | 43% |
| 2021 | 14% | 44% | 48% |
| Year | Holyoke | South Hadley | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 7% | 29% | 41% |
| 2025 | 7% | 34% | 41% |
| 2024 | 7% | 37% | 42% |
| 2023 | 7% | 37% | 42% |
| 2022 | 7% | 31% | 40% |
| 2021 | 5% | 28% | 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
| Holyoke | South Hadley | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 4,960 | 1,648 |
| English learners | 20% | 5.6% |
| Students with disabilities | 31.4% | 22.6% |
| White | 10% | 73.7% |
| Asian | 0.7% | 1.6% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 81.6% | 19.4% |
| Black/African American | 5.8% | 1.9% |
| Multi-race | 1.7% | 3.2% |
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.