Northbridge vs Sutton Schools
How the two districts, about 5 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Sutton ranks higher, #134 to Northbridge's #155 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Sutton students score higher: ELA 41% vs 35%, Math 45% vs 35% met expectations. Statewide: 40% and 41%.
- SAT: Sutton averages 108 points higher (1145 vs 1037).
- Spending: Similar: $18,761 per student in Northbridge and $19,681 in Sutton.
- Homes: Homes cost more in Sutton: single-family homes average $627K vs $509K. The average tax bill is $5,922 in Northbridge and $7,247 in Sutton.
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 | Northbridge | Sutton | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 35% | 41% | 40% |
| 2025 | 36% | 45% | 43% |
| 2024 | 35% | 41% | 42% |
| 2023 | 34% | 47% | 44% |
| 2022 | 35% | 47% | 43% |
| 2021 | 43% | 58% | 48% |
| Year | Northbridge | Sutton | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 35% | 45% | 41% |
| 2025 | 35% | 45% | 41% |
| 2024 | 38% | 47% | 42% |
| 2023 | 36% | 47% | 42% |
| 2022 | 34% | 44% | 40% |
| 2021 | 28% | 36% | 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
| Northbridge | Sutton | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 1,856 | 1,306 |
| English learners | 4.6% | 2.6% |
| Students with disabilities | 23.2% | 17.6% |
| White | 78.7% | 84.2% |
| Asian | 1.4% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 15.2% | 6.6% |
| Black/African American | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| Multi-race | 2.5% | 4% |
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.