New Bedford vs Old Rochester Schools
How the two districts, about 8 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Old Rochester ranks higher, #82 to New Bedford's #258 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Old Rochester students score higher: ELA 50% vs 19%, Math 47% vs 19% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Old Rochester averages 76 points higher (1132 vs 1056).
- Spending: Similar: $23,096 per student in New Bedford and $21,519 in Old Rochester.
- Homes: Homes cost more in Old Rochester: single-family homes average $815K vs $425K. The average tax bill is $4,653 in New Bedford and $7,966 in Old Rochester.
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 | New Bedford | Old Rochester | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 19% | 50% | 41% |
| 2025 | 22% | 52% | 42% |
| 2024 | 21% | 52% | 41% |
| 2023 | 24% | 55% | 44% |
| 2022 | 24% | 50% | 43% |
| 2021 | 28% | 60% | 48% |
| Year | New Bedford | Old Rochester | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 19% | 47% | 41% |
| 2025 | 19% | 49% | 41% |
| 2024 | 19% | 51% | 42% |
| 2023 | 21% | 52% | 42% |
| 2022 | 21% | 51% | 40% |
| 2021 | 17% | 46% | 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
| New Bedford | Old Rochester | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 12,851 | 1,044 |
| English learners | 27.2% | 0.3% |
| Students with disabilities | 24.6% | 17.6% |
| White | 31% | 87% |
| Asian | 0.7% | 1.1% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 45.7% | 4.5% |
| Black/African American | 16.5% | 1.7% |
| Multi-race | 5.8% | 5.8% |
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.