Rank
55
B+
Acton-Boxborough
7 schools · 1 high school · 6 elementary schools · Acton, Boxborough · Regional District
Acton-Boxborough Regional School District encompasses the towns of Acton and Boxborough, two affluent suburban communities about 25 miles northwest of Boston in Middlesex County. Both towns have single-family assessed values around $930,000, reflecting their desirable character and strong commitment to education. The district's regional high school ranks #6 in Massachusetts, with a 98.3% graduation rate and average SAT scores of 1334, while Paul P. Gates Elementary is ranked #20 statewide. Acton-Boxborough's overall ranking of #55 among Massachusetts districts reflects solid performance across its six elementary schools and secondary programs.
Avg MCAS ELA
60.4%
#86 of 326
Avg MCAS Math
66.1%
#46 of 326
Avg SAT
1,334
#3 of 290
Attendance
94.8%
#86 of 328
Graduation Rate
98.3%
#42 of 288
AP Pass Rate
95.5%
#8 of 278
Per-Pupil Spending
$22,300
#147 of 325
Avg Teacher Salary
$100,138
#88 of 325
MCAS Performance by Grade
| Grade | ELA M+E% | Math M+E% | Sci M+E% | Avg Score | Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 58% | 63% | — | 506 | 368 |
| Grade 4 | 63% | 61% | — | 505 | 342 |
| Grade 5 | 63% | 55% | 68% | 505 | 376 |
| Grade 6 | 70% | 71% | — | 513 | 395 |
| Grade 7 | 74% | 79% | — | 516 | 411 |
| Grade 8 | 73% | 80% | 72% | 516 | 400 |
| Grade 10 | 83% | 82% | 79% | 520 | 395 |
| HS Science | — | — | 78% | 519 | 393 |
Showing 2025 data
Student Demographics
White: 49%
Asian: 31.9%
Hispanic: 9.5%
Black: 3.3%
Multi-Race: 6.2%
Am. Indian: 0.1%
Female: 48.9%Male: 51%Non-binary: 0.1%
High Schools in Acton-Boxborough
Rank
Grade
School
SAT
MCAS ELA
MCAS Math
AP
Grad
6
A+
Acton-Boxborough Regional High
SAT
1,334
ELA
83%
Math
83%
Grad
98.3%
6
A+
Acton-Boxborough Regional High
1,334
83%
83%
95.5%
98.3%
Elementary Schools in Acton-Boxborough
Rank
Grade
School
MCAS ELA
MCAS Math
Attend.
Class Size
20
A+
Paul P Gates Elementary School
ELA
77%
Math
83%
Attend.
95%
Class
21
20
A+
Paul P Gates Elementary School
77%
83%
95%
21
86
A-
Blanchard Memorial School
ELA
65%
Math
76%
Attend.
95%
Class
21
86
A-
Blanchard Memorial School
65%
76%
95%
21
103
A-
Merriam School
ELA
63%
Math
75%
Attend.
95.1%
Class
22
103
A-
Merriam School
63%
75%
95.1%
22
294
B
Luther Conant School
ELA
55%
Math
57%
Attend.
94.6%
Class
21
294
B
Luther Conant School
55%
57%
94.6%
21
378
B-
McCarthy-Towne School
ELA
40%
Math
49%
Attend.
94.8%
Class
22
378
B-
McCarthy-Towne School
40%
49%
94.8%
22
516
C+
C.T. Douglas Elementary School
ELA
40%
Math
40%
Attend.
95.1%
Class
22
516
C+
C.T. Douglas Elementary School
40%
40%
95.1%
22
District Operations
Attendance
#86 of 328Attendance Rate94.8%
Avg Days Absent9
Chronically Absent (10%+)10.9%
Chronically Absent (20%+)1.8%
Per-Pupil Expenditure
#147 of 325In-District Per Pupil$20,952
Total Per Pupil$22,300
Total FTE Students5,257
Teacher Salaries
#88 of 325Average Salary$100,138
Teacher FTE Count397
Salary vs. Town Income1.2x(near town avg)
Teacher salary is 1.2x the town's per capita income ($85,936). Teachers earn close to the community average. The MA median ratio is about 1.9x.
Class Size & Populations
#301 of 327Avg Class Size21
English Learners7%
Students w/ Disabilities16.9%
Total Students5,105
Staffing & Retention
#76 of 327Teacher Retention90.3%
Principal Retention88.9%
Total Teachers404
Attendance: 2024-2025 · Expenditure: 2024 · Salaries: 2023-2024 · Class Size: 2024-2025 · Staffing: 2025
Town Data
Acton
Avg Assessed Value
$937,779
#46 of 235
Avg Tax Bill
$15,220
Income Per Capita
$88,147
#36 of 235
Tax Bill Rank
#21
of 341 towns
Avg Assessed Value is the mean assessed value of single-family homes only (MA property class 101 — excludes condos, multi-family, and apartments). MA law requires assessment at 100% of fair market value. Income Per Capita is total town income divided by population, derived from MA state income tax returns (not Census surveys). It includes wages, investment income, and capital gains, so wealthy towns can have very high figures. The MA median is about $48K. Tax bill rank orders towns by average single-family tax bill, highest to lowest.
Tax & Bond Details
Residential Tax Rate1.62%
Tax as % of Income17.27%(above avg)
Bond RatingAAA(highest)
Tax rate is the effective residential rate (tax bill ÷ assessed value). Tax as % of income measures how much of residents’ income goes to property taxes. The MA median is about 14%; below 10% is low (wealthier towns with high incomes relative to home values), above 16% is above average. Bond rating reflects the town’s creditworthiness for borrowing. AAA is the highest possible rating (strong fiscal management), meaning the town can borrow at the lowest interest rates. AA+ is excellent, AA is very good.
New Growth
$65.0M+1.01% levy growth(typical)
Residential$42.3M
Commercial/Industrial$22.8M
Residential Share64.99%(typical)
New growth measures new taxable value from construction and development (not rising home prices). In Massachusetts, Proposition 2\u00BD limits annual property tax increases to 2.5% of the prior year\u2019s levy. New growth revenue is automatically added on top of this 2.5% base increase \u2014 it does not require a vote. This town’s total levy growth is about 3.5% (2.5% base + 1.01% from new growth). The MA median is about 1.2%; above 1.5% is strong, below 0.8% signals limited development. The residential share (64.99%) shows how much comes from homes vs. commercial/industrial. When most growth is residential, homeowners carry more of the tax burden. More commercial/industrial growth is generally better for homeowners because businesses share the cost.
Municipal Free Cash
$6.8M5.4% of operating budget
Free cash is the town's unencumbered surplus funds. 5-10% of budget is considered healthy. Operating budget: $125.5M.
Where Children Attend School
Regional: 3,998(92.0%)
Vocational: 83(1.9%)
Charter: 29(0.7%)
Private: 132(3.0%)
Home School: 36(0.8%)
Total: 4,344Boxborough
Avg Assessed Value
$933,829
#46 of 235
Avg Tax Bill
$14,372
Income Per Capita
$83,725
#36 of 235
Tax Bill Rank
#24
of 341 towns
Avg Assessed Value is the mean assessed value of single-family homes only (MA property class 101 — excludes condos, multi-family, and apartments). MA law requires assessment at 100% of fair market value. Income Per Capita is total town income divided by population, derived from MA state income tax returns (not Census surveys). It includes wages, investment income, and capital gains, so wealthy towns can have very high figures. The MA median is about $48K. Tax bill rank orders towns by average single-family tax bill, highest to lowest.
Tax & Bond Details
Residential Tax Rate1.54%
Tax as % of Income17.17%(above avg)
Bond RatingAAA(highest)
Tax rate is the effective residential rate (tax bill ÷ assessed value). Tax as % of income measures how much of residents’ income goes to property taxes. The MA median is about 14%; below 10% is low (wealthier towns with high incomes relative to home values), above 16% is above average. Bond rating reflects the town’s creditworthiness for borrowing. AAA is the highest possible rating (strong fiscal management), meaning the town can borrow at the lowest interest rates. AA+ is excellent, AA is very good.
New Growth
$12.0M+0.66% levy growth(low)
Residential$1.7M
Commercial/Industrial$10.3M
Residential Share14.29%(diverse)
New growth measures new taxable value from construction and development (not rising home prices). In Massachusetts, Proposition 2\u00BD limits annual property tax increases to 2.5% of the prior year\u2019s levy. New growth revenue is automatically added on top of this 2.5% base increase \u2014 it does not require a vote. This town’s total levy growth is about 3.2% (2.5% base + 0.66% from new growth). The MA median is about 1.2%; above 1.5% is strong, below 0.8% signals limited development. The residential share (14.29%) shows how much comes from homes vs. commercial/industrial. When most growth is residential, homeowners carry more of the tax burden. More commercial/industrial growth is generally better for homeowners because businesses share the cost.
Municipal Free Cash
$4.3M14.1% of operating budget
Free cash is the town's unencumbered surplus funds. 5-10% of budget is considered healthy. Operating budget: $30.3M.
Where Children Attend School
Regional: 862(94.5%)
Vocational: 1(0.1%)
Charter: 9(1.0%)
Private: 15(1.6%)
Home School: 15(1.6%)
Total: 912