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Massachusetts regional school district

Acton-Boxborough

1 high school and 6 elementary schools in our rankings

B+
overall grade

Students from Acton and Boxborough attend Acton-Boxborough schools, including Acton-Boxborough Regional High School.

Ranks #56 of 328 Massachusetts school districts — top 18%.

Overall rank
#56
of 328 districts
MCAS ELA
67%+26 vs MA
State 41% in the same grades
MCAS Math
70%+29 vs MA
State 41% in the same grades
Spending per student
$22,300
MA median $21,765

MCAS is the share of students meeting or exceeding expectations in 2026, grades 3–10 combined. Spending is total per-pupil expenditure in FY2024.

Acton-Boxborough Regional School District serves the towns of Acton and Boxborough, located roughly 20 miles northwest of Boston in Middlesex County. Both communities are residential suburbs with a mix of single-family neighborhoods, open space, and town centers, and both report high single-family assessed values and per capita income well above the state average. Acton, incorporated in 1735, is home to the historic Acton Minute Man National Historical Park, which commemorates the Minute Men who marched from Acton to Concord on April 19, 1775. Acton-Boxborough Regional High School serves students from both towns.

How it compares

What stands out
  • Strongest area: SAT scores, in the top 2% of districts. Its high schools average 1334 on the SAT, vs 1113 for the average MA district.
  • Top school: Paul P Gates Elementary School, #1 of 895 Massachusetts elementary schools.
  • Trend: MCAS results and attendance have held steady over the past three years.
Where it stands among Massachusetts school districts
Bottom of MATop of MA
Overall
Above averagetop 18% · #56
SAT
Excellenttop 2% · #3
ELA MCAS
Above averagetop 19% · #59
Math MCAS
Above averagetop 23% · #73
AP results
Excellenttop 4% · #9
Graduation
Above averagetop 15% · #42
Attendance
Above averagetop 26% · #85

A district's overall rank is the average statewide percentile of its ranked schools, with a 10% discount for single-school districts. Category standings compare the average of each district's ranked schools and count only districts with data. How we rank

Schools in Acton-Boxborough

High schools · ranked among 335
Elementary schools · ranked among 895

We rank high schools that report SAT results and elementary schools with grade 3 MCAS results, so some of the district's schools (middle schools, for example) aren't listed. Elementary ELA and Math are 2024–2026 averages of grade 3 results.

MCAS results

Share of students meeting or exceeding expectations, compared with the state. Statewide 10th-grade results dropped after 2024, when passing the MCAS stopped being a graduation requirement. There was no test in 2020.

English Language Arts, grades 3–1067%in 2026 · state 41%
26 points above the state
0%50%100%This district67%State41%2019202120232026
Math, grades 3–1070%in 2026 · state 41%
29 points above the state
0%50%100%This district70%State41%2019202120232026
By grade, 2026 · the black tick marks the state
GradeELAMath
Grade 3
59%+16 vs state
55%+13 vs state
Grade 4
50%+13 vs state
58%+15 vs state
Grade 5
59%+21 vs state
63%+24 vs state
Grade 6
70%+30 vs state
76%+33 vs state
Grade 7
69%+29 vs state
70%+33 vs state
Grade 8
75%+33 vs state
82%+40 vs state
Grade 10
85%+40 vs state
85%+41 vs state
Science, 2026
Grade 5 science
66%+23 vs state
Grade 8 science
80%+41 vs state
High school biology
80%+42 vs state

High school results

Average SATBetter than average
This district
1334
MA avg
1113
AP exams scored 3+Better than average
This district
95.5%
MA avg
69.1%
Four-year graduation rateBetter than average
This district
98.3%
MA avg
92.4%

Averages of the district's ranked high schools (Acton-Boxborough Regional High). "MA avg" is the average of all Massachusetts districts with high school data.

Students & classrooms

Classrooms
Students in classes5,105
Average class size20.6MA avg 17.3
Who attends
White
49%
Asian
31.9%
Hispanic/Latino
9.5%
Multi-Race
6.2%
Black/African American
3.3%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.1%

48.9% female · 51% male · 0.1% nonbinary

Student needs
English learnersLower than average
This district
7%
MA avg
8.5%
Students with disabilitiesLower than average
This district
16.9%
MA avg
20.2%

Spending & teachers

Spending per student$22.3Kin FY2024 · MA median $21.8K
$535 above the MA median
$0K$13K$25KThis district$22.3KMA median$21.8K20162018202020222024
Teacher salary$100.1Kin 2023-24 · MA median $91.4K
$8,745 above the MA median
$0K$53K$105KThis district$100.1KMA median$91.4K20162018202020222024
Teachers who stayedfrom last yearBetter than average
This district
90.3%
MA avg
84.7%
Principals who stayedfrom last yearBetter than average
This district
88.9%
MA avg
82%

Spending is total per-pupil expenditure from all sources. Dollar figures aren't adjusted for inflation. "MA median" is the middle district in each year; small districts can spend far more per student, so the median is a fairer yardstick than the average. Salary is the average across 397 full-time-equivalent teachers.

Attendance

Attendance rateBetter than average
This district
94.8%
MA avg
93.7%
Chronically absentmissed 10%+ of daysBetter than average
This district
10.9%
MA avg
16.9%

9.2 days absent per student (MA avg 11) · 1.8% missed 20% or more of school days

About the towns

Acton
Middlesex County · Greater Boston — I-95 to I-495
Avg single-family home value$938KMA median $588K
Avg property tax bill$15,220MA median $6,814
Tax rate$16.20 per $1,000MA median $12.40
Income per person$88,147MA median $47,872
Local kids in public school96.1%
Town bond ratingAAA
Free cash reserves5.4% of budget
Boxborough
Middlesex County · Greater Boston — I-95 to I-495
Avg single-family home value$934KMA median $588K
Avg property tax bill$14,372MA median $6,814
Tax rate$15.40 per $1,000MA median $12.40
Income per person$83,725MA median $47,872
Local kids in public school96.7%
Town bond ratingAAA
Free cash reserves14.1% of budget
Where school-age children in these towns go to school · 2024-2025
Regional schools
92.5%
Private schools
2.8%
Vocational schools
1.6%
Other public schools
1.4%
Home school
1%
Charter schools
0.7%

What could you afford here? · All towns A–Z

Town figures are FY2026 averages for single-family homes from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. Assessed values usually run below recent sale prices. "MA median" is the median of the state's 351 towns.

Compare Acton-Boxborough with nearby districts

Side by side: test scores, spending, class size, home values and taxes. Distance is between district centers. Compare with any district