Needham vs Westwood Schools
How the two districts, about 5 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Westwood ranks higher, #8 to Needham's #17 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Similar results: in Needham, 72% met expectations in ELA and 76% in Math; in Westwood, 72% and 74%. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Close: Needham averages 1270 and Westwood 1269.
- Spending: Similar: $24,928 per student in Needham and $25,156 in Westwood.
- Homes: Homes cost more in Needham: single-family homes average $1.54M vs $1.25M. The average tax bill is $16,690 in Needham and $16,097 in Westwood.
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 | Westwood | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 72% | 72% | 41% |
| 2025 | 74% | 72% | 43% |
| 2024 | 70% | 70% | 42% |
| 2023 | 70% | 72% | 45% |
| 2022 | 70% | 72% | 44% |
| 2021 | 74% | 77% | 49% |
| Year | Needham | Westwood | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 76% | 74% | 41% |
| 2025 | 75% | 73% | 41% |
| 2024 | 74% | 73% | 42% |
| 2023 | 71% | 73% | 42% |
| 2022 | 71% | 71% | 41% |
| 2021 | 65% | 64% | 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 | Westwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 5,509 | 2,855 |
| English learners | 2.9% | 1.3% |
| Students with disabilities | 18.9% | 21.5% |
| White | 70.7% | 71.2% |
| Asian | 12.4% | 13.3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.1% | 7.2% |
| Black/African American | 3.2% | 1.8% |
| Multi-race | 6.5% | 6.3% |
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.