Lowell vs Tewksbury Schools
How the two districts, about 5 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Tewksbury ranks higher, #101 to Lowell's #224 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Tewksbury students score higher: ELA 42% vs 28%, Math 42% vs 32% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Tewksbury averages 42 points higher (1132 vs 1090).
- Spending: Similar: $22,085 per student in Lowell and $23,195 in Tewksbury.
- Homes: Homes cost more in Tewksbury: single-family homes average $685K vs $515K. The average tax bill is $5,844 in Lowell and $8,608 in Tewksbury.
- Class size: Smaller in Lowell: 17.7 students on average vs 20.1.
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 | Lowell | Tewksbury | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 28% | 42% | 41% |
| 2025 | 28% | 47% | 42% |
| 2024 | 24% | 42% | 41% |
| 2023 | 27% | 49% | 44% |
| 2022 | 27% | 48% | 43% |
| 2021 | 28% | 58% | 48% |
| Year | Lowell | Tewksbury | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 32% | 42% | 41% |
| 2025 | 30% | 44% | 41% |
| 2024 | 29% | 41% | 42% |
| 2023 | 26% | 45% | 42% |
| 2022 | 25% | 43% | 40% |
| 2021 | 20% | 40% | 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
| Lowell | Tewksbury | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 14,899 | 3,254 |
| English learners | 28.2% | 4.8% |
| Students with disabilities | 20.7% | 18.9% |
| White | 18% | 73.6% |
| Asian | 25.6% | 5.8% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 42.6% | 10.5% |
| Black/African American | 9.5% | 6.8% |
| Multi-race | 4% | 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.