Shrewsbury vs Worcester Schools
How the two districts, about 5 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Shrewsbury ranks higher, #25 to Worcester's #249 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Shrewsbury students score higher: ELA 59% vs 25%, Math 66% vs 24% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Shrewsbury averages 171 points higher (1247 vs 1076).
- Spending: Worcester spends $3,436 more per student ($22,476 vs $19,040).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Shrewsbury: single-family homes average $761K vs $410K. The average tax bill is $8,753 in Shrewsbury and $5,446 in Worcester.
- Class size: Smaller in Worcester: 15.8 students on average vs 20.1.
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 | Shrewsbury | Worcester | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 59% | 25% | 41% |
| 2025 | 60% | 27% | 43% |
| 2024 | 59% | 25% | 42% |
| 2023 | 62% | 28% | 44% |
| 2022 | 64% | 29% | 43% |
| 2021 | 68% | 30% | 49% |
| Year | Shrewsbury | Worcester | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 66% | 24% | 41% |
| 2025 | 68% | 24% | 41% |
| 2024 | 66% | 24% | 42% |
| 2023 | 67% | 24% | 42% |
| 2022 | 64% | 23% | 40% |
| 2021 | 62% | 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
| Shrewsbury | Worcester | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 6,008 | 25,578 |
| English learners | 6.7% | 33.1% |
| Students with disabilities | 14.9% | 21.5% |
| White | 42.9% | 23.9% |
| Asian | 34% | 6.2% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 11.5% | 45.8% |
| Black/African American | 5.1% | 19.8% |
| Multi-race | 5.9% | 4% |
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.