Melrose vs Winchester Schools
How the two districts, about 4 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Winchester ranks higher, #6 to Melrose's #24 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Winchester students score higher: ELA 71% vs 64%, Math 77% vs 61% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Winchester averages 129 points higher (1295 vs 1166).
- Spending: Winchester spends $2,956 more per student ($19,933 vs $16,977).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Winchester: single-family homes average $1.65M vs $853K. The average tax bill is $9,787 in Melrose and $18,272 in Winchester.
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 | Winchester | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 64% | 71% | 41% |
| 2025 | 64% | 72% | 43% |
| 2024 | 60% | 69% | 41% |
| 2023 | 62% | 71% | 44% |
| 2022 | 62% | 72% | 43% |
| 2021 | 64% | 75% | 49% |
| Year | Melrose | Winchester | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 61% | 77% | 41% |
| 2025 | 60% | 74% | 41% |
| 2024 | 61% | 75% | 42% |
| 2023 | 59% | 72% | 42% |
| 2022 | 58% | 70% | 40% |
| 2021 | 53% | 64% | 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 | Winchester | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 3,850 | 4,413 |
| English learners | 6.4% | 2.6% |
| Students with disabilities | 17.5% | 16.8% |
| White | 72.6% | 65.1% |
| Asian | 7.4% | 21.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.9% | 4.4% |
| Black/African American | 5.9% | 1.4% |
| Multi-race | 6% | 7.7% |
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.