Norwell vs Rockland Schools
How the two districts, about 5 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Norwell ranks higher, #20 to Rockland's #199 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Norwell students score higher: ELA 67% vs 33%, Math 67% vs 34% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Norwell averages 80 points higher (1144 vs 1064).
- Spending: Similar: $21,154 per student in Norwell and $22,421 in Rockland.
- Homes: Homes cost more in Norwell: single-family homes average $1.07M vs $548K. The average tax bill is $13,675 in Norwell and $7,603 in Rockland.
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 | Norwell | Rockland | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 67% | 33% | 41% |
| 2025 | 68% | 38% | 42% |
| 2024 | 65% | 39% | 41% |
| 2023 | 68% | 41% | 44% |
| 2022 | 65% | 41% | 43% |
| 2021 | 70% | 46% | 49% |
| Year | Norwell | Rockland | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 67% | 34% | 41% |
| 2025 | 69% | 35% | 41% |
| 2024 | 73% | 41% | 42% |
| 2023 | 69% | 42% | 42% |
| 2022 | 67% | 38% | 41% |
| 2021 | 61% | 32% | 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
| Norwell | Rockland | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,199 | 2,214 |
| English learners | 0.5% | 12.3% |
| Students with disabilities | 15.1% | 19.5% |
| White | 89.5% | 63.5% |
| Asian | 2.8% | 2% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 2% | 22.4% |
| Black/African American | 0.6% | 6.8% |
| Multi-race | 5% | 4.5% |
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.