Palmer vs Quaboag Regional Schools
How the two districts, about 7 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Palmer ranks higher, #223 to Quaboag Regional's #237 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Quaboag Regional students score higher: ELA 26% vs 22%, Math 29% vs 28% met expectations. Statewide: 40% and 41%.
- High school: Palmer has no high school in our rankings (its students may attend a regional high school), so only Quaboag Regional has SAT and graduation figures (SAT average 1012).
- Spending: Palmer spends $2,607 more per student ($23,575 vs $20,968).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Quaboag Regional: single-family homes average $362K vs $301K. The average tax bill is $5,014 in Palmer and $4,513 in Quaboag Regional.
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 | Palmer | Quaboag Regional | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 22% | 26% | 40% |
| 2025 | 27% | 28% | 42% |
| 2024 | 25% | 34% | 41% |
| 2023 | 34% | 40% | 44% |
| 2022 | 27% | 42% | 43% |
| 2021 | 35% | 51% | 48% |
| Year | Palmer | Quaboag Regional | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 28% | 29% | 41% |
| 2025 | 30% | 30% | 41% |
| 2024 | 30% | 33% | 41% |
| 2023 | 31% | 30% | 42% |
| 2022 | 26% | 39% | 40% |
| 2021 | 23% | 31% | 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
| Palmer | Quaboag Regional | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 1,118 | 1,145 |
| English learners | 4.5% | 2.3% |
| Students with disabilities | 19.6% | 24.5% |
| White | 72.3% | 81.3% |
| Asian | 1.9% | 1.1% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 19% | 10.6% |
| Black/African American | 2.1% | 1.9% |
| Multi-race | 4.8% | 4.9% |
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.