Ipswich vs Manchester Essex Regional Schools
How the two districts, about 7 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Neck and neck: Ipswich ranks #39 and Manchester Essex Regional #40 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Manchester Essex Regional students score higher: ELA 61% vs 57%, Math 57% vs 57% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Close: Ipswich averages 1201 and Manchester Essex Regional 1210.
- Spending: Similar: $25,451 per student in Ipswich and $27,395 in Manchester Essex Regional.
- Homes: Homes cost more in Manchester Essex Regional: single-family homes average $1.40M vs $903K. The average tax bill is $9,733 in Ipswich and $14,164 in Manchester Essex Regional.
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 | Ipswich | Manchester Essex Regional | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 57% | 61% | 41% |
| 2025 | 60% | 65% | 43% |
| 2024 | 56% | 56% | 42% |
| 2023 | 59% | 63% | 45% |
| 2022 | 58% | 64% | 44% |
| 2021 | 60% | 66% | 49% |
| Year | Ipswich | Manchester Essex Regional | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 57% | 57% | 41% |
| 2025 | 56% | 61% | 41% |
| 2024 | 57% | 60% | 42% |
| 2023 | 54% | 58% | 42% |
| 2022 | 54% | 62% | 41% |
| 2021 | 41% | 55% | 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
| Ipswich | Manchester Essex Regional | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 1,567 | 1,197 |
| English learners | 3.6% | 0.6% |
| Students with disabilities | 20.9% | 19.6% |
| White | 82.8% | 93.4% |
| Asian | 1.5% | 0.9% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 9.3% | 3.1% |
| Black/African American | 1.4% | 0.3% |
| Multi-race | 4.7% | 2.3% |
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.