Old Rochester vs Wareham Schools
How the two districts, about 6 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Old Rochester ranks higher, #82 to Wareham's #219 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Old Rochester students score higher: ELA 50% vs 31%, Math 47% vs 30% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Old Rochester averages 53 points higher (1132 vs 1079).
- Spending: Wareham spends $2,169 more per student ($23,688 vs $21,519).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Old Rochester: single-family homes average $815K vs $477K. The average tax bill is $7,966 in Old Rochester and $4,087 in Wareham.
- Class size: Smaller in Wareham: 13.9 students on average vs 16.
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 | Old Rochester | Wareham | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 50% | 31% | 41% |
| 2025 | 52% | 30% | 43% |
| 2024 | 52% | 30% | 41% |
| 2023 | 55% | 30% | 44% |
| 2022 | 50% | 25% | 43% |
| 2021 | 60% | 33% | 48% |
| Year | Old Rochester | Wareham | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 47% | 30% | 41% |
| 2025 | 49% | 28% | 41% |
| 2024 | 51% | 29% | 41% |
| 2023 | 52% | 24% | 42% |
| 2022 | 51% | 18% | 40% |
| 2021 | 46% | 17% | 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
| Old Rochester | Wareham | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 1,044 | 2,007 |
| English learners | 0.3% | 1.3% |
| Students with disabilities | 17.6% | 30.4% |
| White | 87% | 68.2% |
| Asian | 1.1% | 0.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 4.5% | 9.7% |
| Black/African American | 1.7% | 8.1% |
| Multi-race | 5.8% | 12% |
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.