Palmer vs Ware Schools
How the two districts, about 6 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Palmer ranks higher, #223 to Ware's #245 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Palmer students score higher: ELA 22% vs 22%, Math 28% vs 21% 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 Ware has SAT and graduation figures (SAT average 1060).
- Spending: Palmer spends $4,139 more per student ($23,575 vs $19,436).
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 | Ware | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 22% | 22% | 40% |
| 2025 | 27% | 28% | 42% |
| 2024 | 25% | 27% | 41% |
| 2023 | 34% | 31% | 44% |
| 2022 | 27% | 27% | 43% |
| 2021 | 35% | 37% | 48% |
| Year | Palmer | Ware | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 28% | 21% | 41% |
| 2025 | 30% | 24% | 41% |
| 2024 | 30% | 25% | 41% |
| 2023 | 31% | 27% | 42% |
| 2022 | 26% | 23% | 40% |
| 2021 | 23% | 21% | 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 | Ware | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 1,118 | 1,078 |
| English learners | 4.5% | 2.3% |
| Students with disabilities | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| White | 72.3% | 72.1% |
| Asian | 1.9% | 0.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 19% | 17.5% |
| Black/African American | 2.1% | 3.4% |
| Multi-race | 4.8% | 5.8% |
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.