Needham vs Wellesley Schools
How the two districts, about 3 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Wellesley ranks higher, #4 to Needham's #17 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Wellesley students score higher: ELA 76% vs 72%, Math 79% vs 76% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Wellesley averages 29 points higher (1299 vs 1270).
- Spending: Wellesley spends $4,941 more per student ($29,869 vs $24,928).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Wellesley: single-family homes average $2.02M vs $1.54M. The average tax bill is $16,690 in Needham and $20,551 in Wellesley.
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 | Needham | Wellesley | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 72% | 76% | 41% |
| 2025 | 74% | 75% | 43% |
| 2024 | 70% | 74% | 42% |
| 2023 | 70% | 77% | 45% |
| 2022 | 70% | 73% | 44% |
| 2021 | 74% | 77% | 49% |
| Year | Needham | Wellesley | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 76% | 79% | 41% |
| 2025 | 75% | 75% | 41% |
| 2024 | 74% | 77% | 42% |
| 2023 | 71% | 79% | 42% |
| 2022 | 71% | 73% | 41% |
| 2021 | 65% | 66% | 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
| Needham | Wellesley | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 5,509 | 4,030 |
| English learners | 2.9% | 2.3% |
| Students with disabilities | 18.9% | 15.4% |
| White | 70.7% | 61.3% |
| Asian | 12.4% | 19.5% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.1% | 8.2% |
| Black/African American | 3.2% | 3.5% |
| Multi-race | 6.5% | 7.5% |
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.