Waltham vs Woburn Schools
How the two districts, about 8 miles apart, compare on test scores, high school results, classrooms, spending and housing.
The short answer
- Overall: Woburn ranks higher, #179 to Waltham's #204 of 328 Massachusetts districts.
- MCAS 2026: Waltham students score higher: ELA 37% vs 37%, Math 40% vs 33% met expectations. Statewide: 41% and 41%.
- SAT: Woburn averages 59 points higher (1180 vs 1121).
- Spending: Waltham spends $2,254 more per student ($26,402 vs $24,148).
- Homes: Homes cost more in Woburn: single-family homes average $738K vs $503K. The average tax bill is $5,189 in Waltham and $6,755 in Woburn.
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 | Woburn | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 37% | 37% | 41% |
| 2025 | 40% | 37% | 43% |
| 2024 | 37% | 37% | 42% |
| 2023 | 38% | 43% | 45% |
| 2022 | 40% | 43% | 43% |
| 2021 | 43% | 49% | 49% |
| Year | Waltham | Woburn | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 40% | 33% | 41% |
| 2025 | 38% | 33% | 41% |
| 2024 | 36% | 36% | 42% |
| 2023 | 37% | 37% | 42% |
| 2022 | 38% | 39% | 41% |
| 2021 | 32% | 35% | 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 | Woburn | |
|---|---|---|
| Students in classes | 5,919 | 4,592 |
| English learners | 24.8% | 15.4% |
| Students with disabilities | 18.6% | 23.3% |
| White | 34.4% | 58.7% |
| Asian | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 47.2% | 19.9% |
| Black/African American | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| Multi-race | 4.1% | 4.4% |
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.