Waltham vs Weston Schools
How the two districts, about 4 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Weston ranks higher, #1 to Waltham's #204 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Weston students score higher: ELA 75% vs 37%, Math 79% vs 40% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Weston averages 177 points higher (1298 vs 1121).
- Spending: Weston spends $4,768 more per student ($31,171 vs $26,402).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Weston: single-family homes average $2.42M vs $503K. The average tax bill is $5,189 in Waltham and $26,313 in Weston.
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 | Waltham | Weston | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 37% | 75% | 41% |
| 2025 | 40% | 77% | 43% |
| 2024 | 37% | 76% | 42% |
| 2023 | 38% | 77% | 45% |
| 2022 | 40% | 76% | 43% |
| 2021 | 43% | 77% | 49% |
| Year | Waltham | Weston | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 40% | 79% | 41% |
| 2025 | 38% | 77% | 41% |
| 2024 | 36% | 78% | 42% |
| 2023 | 37% | 75% | 42% |
| 2022 | 38% | 76% | 41% |
| 2021 | 32% | 71% | 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
| Waltham | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 5,919 | 2,081 |
| English learners | 24.8% | 3.5% |
| Students with disabilities | 18.6% | 16.4% |
| White | 34.4% | 56.3% |
| Asian | 4.6% | 26.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 47.2% | 6% |
| Black/African American | 9.5% | 5% |
| Multi-race | 4.1% | 6% |
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.