Norwell vs Scituate 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 Scituate's #45 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Norwell students score higher: ELA 67% vs 58%, Math 67% vs 61% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Scituate averages 18 points higher (1162 vs 1144).
- Spending: Similar: $21,154 per student in Norwell and $21,508 in Scituate.
- Homes: Similar: single-family homes average $1.07M in Norwell and $1.04M in Scituate. The average tax bill is $13,675 in Norwell and $10,191 in Scituate.
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 | Scituate | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 67% | 58% | 41% |
| 2025 | 68% | 62% | 42% |
| 2024 | 65% | 60% | 41% |
| 2023 | 68% | 65% | 44% |
| 2022 | 65% | 63% | 43% |
| 2021 | 70% | 67% | 49% |
| Year | Norwell | Scituate | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 67% | 61% | 41% |
| 2025 | 69% | 62% | 41% |
| 2024 | 73% | 62% | 42% |
| 2023 | 69% | 62% | 42% |
| 2022 | 67% | 60% | 41% |
| 2021 | 61% | 59% | 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 | Scituate | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 2,199 | 2,772 |
| English learners | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Students with disabilities | 15.1% | 19.8% |
| White | 89.5% | 90.2% |
| Asian | 2.8% | 0.5% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 2% | 3.2% |
| Black/African American | 0.6% | 2.1% |
| Multi-race | 5% | 3.7% |
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.