Salem vs Saugus Schools
How the two districts, about 6 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Saugus ranks higher, #207 to Salem's #234 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Mixed: Salem leads in ELA (31% vs 27%), Saugus in Math (32% vs 26%). Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Saugus averages 86 points higher (1100 vs 1014).
- Spending: Salem spends $7,165 more per student ($25,713 vs $18,547).
- Homes: Similar: single-family homes average $676K in Salem and $684K in Saugus. The average tax bill is $7,285 in Salem and $7,126 in Saugus.
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 | Salem | Saugus | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31% | 27% | 41% |
| 2025 | 33% | 27% | 42% |
| 2024 | 27% | 29% | 41% |
| 2023 | 29% | 33% | 44% |
| 2022 | 27% | 36% | 43% |
| 2021 | 36% | 44% | 48% |
| Year | Salem | Saugus | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26% | 32% | 41% |
| 2025 | 26% | 34% | 41% |
| 2024 | 25% | 33% | 42% |
| 2023 | 22% | 33% | 42% |
| 2022 | 20% | 35% | 40% |
| 2021 | 18% | 27% | 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
| Salem | Saugus | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 3,974 | 2,718 |
| English learners | 19.8% | 14.1% |
| Students with disabilities | 26.6% | 19.7% |
| White | 37.7% | 46.3% |
| Asian | 2.6% | 7.8% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 47.9% | 35% |
| Black/African American | 6.5% | 7% |
| Multi-race | 4.8% | 3.3% |
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.