Melrose vs Wakefield Schools
How the two districts, about 3 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Melrose ranks higher, #24 to Wakefield's #74 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Melrose students score higher: ELA 64% vs 56%, Math 61% vs 55% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Melrose averages 19 points higher (1166 vs 1147).
- Spending: Wakefield spends $3,767 more per student ($20,743 vs $16,977).
- Homes: Similar: single-family homes average $853K in Melrose and $820K in Wakefield. The average tax bill is $9,787 in Melrose and $9,628 in Wakefield.
- Class size: Smaller in Wakefield: 17.7 students on average vs 20.2.
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 | Melrose | Wakefield | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 64% | 56% | 41% |
| 2025 | 64% | 55% | 43% |
| 2024 | 60% | 54% | 41% |
| 2023 | 62% | 56% | 44% |
| 2022 | 62% | 55% | 43% |
| 2021 | 64% | 55% | 49% |
| Year | Melrose | Wakefield | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 61% | 55% | 41% |
| 2025 | 60% | 52% | 41% |
| 2024 | 61% | 53% | 42% |
| 2023 | 59% | 52% | 42% |
| 2022 | 58% | 50% | 40% |
| 2021 | 53% | 42% | 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
| Melrose | Wakefield | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 3,850 | 3,413 |
| English learners | 6.4% | 3.7% |
| Students with disabilities | 17.5% | 19.8% |
| White | 72.6% | 79.2% |
| Asian | 7.4% | 3.8% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Black/African American | 5.9% | 3.2% |
| Multi-race | 6% | 3.7% |
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.