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Massachusetts public school district

Bourne

1 high school and 1 elementary school in our rankings · serves Bourne

C
overall grade

Ranks #233 of 328 Massachusetts school districts.

Overall rank
#233
of 328 districts
MCAS ELA
35%
State 41% in the same grades
MCAS Math
29%
State 41% in the same grades
Spending per student
$24,160
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.

Bourne is a town on Cape Cod, situated at the Cape Cod Canal where the peninsula meets the mainland, roughly 60 miles southeast of Boston. The Bourne Public Schools district serves the town and is anchored by Bourne High School. The town's character blends suburban residential neighborhoods with coastal and waterfront areas along Buzzards Bay and the Cape Cod Canal. Bourne is home to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and the Aptucxet Trading Post, a replica of a 1627 Pilgrim trading post and one of the earliest sites of European trade in New England.

How it compares

What stands out
  • Best of its categories: ELA MCAS, in the bottom 48% of districts. 35% of students in grades 3–10 met or exceeded expectations in 2026, vs 41% statewide in the same grades.
  • Area to watch: SAT scores rank in the bottom 11% of districts.
  • Trend: Chronic absence has fallen from 27.8% in 2022 to 20% in 2025.
Where it stands among Massachusetts school districts
Bottom of MATop of MA
Overall
Below averagebottom 30% · #233
SAT
Below averagebottom 11% · #261
ELA MCAS
Averagebottom 48% · #172
Math MCAS
Below averagebottom 26% · #245
AP results
Below averagebottom 27% · #205
Graduation
Below averagebottom 21% · #231
Attendance
Below averagebottom 18% · #272

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 Bourne

High schools · ranked among 335
Bourne High School
Bourne
C+
#214 in MASAT 986Graduation 88%
Elementary schools · ranked among 895
Bourne Intermediate School
Bourne
C
#664 in MAELA 31%Math 29%

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 3–1035%in 2026 · state 41%
6 points below the state
0%50%100%This district35%State41%2019202120232026
Math, grades 3–1029%in 2026 · state 41%
13 points below the state
0%50%100%This district29%State41%2019202120232026
By grade, 2026 · the black tick marks the state
GradeELAMath
Grade 3
37%−6 vs state
22%−20 vs state
Grade 4
25%−12 vs state
33%−10 vs state
Grade 5
25%−13 vs state
17%−22 vs state
Grade 6
37%−3 vs state
29%−14 vs state
Grade 7
35%−5 vs state
23%−14 vs state
Grade 8
35%−7 vs state
38%−4 vs state
Grade 10
52%+7 vs state
38%−6 vs state
Science, 2026
Grade 5 science
28%−15 vs state
Grade 8 science
34%−5 vs state
High school biology
26%−12 vs state

High school results

Average SATWorse than average
This district
986
MA avg
1113
AP exams scored 3+Worse than average
This district
59.7%
MA avg
69.1%
Four-year graduation rateWorse than average
This district
87.8%
MA avg
92.4%

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

Students & classrooms

Classrooms
Students in classes1,520
Average class size16.2MA avg 17.3
Who attends
White
79.6%
Hispanic/Latino
7.7%
Multi-Race
7.4%
Black/African American
2.6%
Asian
2.1%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.5%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.1%

49.4% female · 50.6% male

Student needs
English learnersLower than average
This district
2.3%
MA avg
8.5%
Students with disabilitiesAbout average
This district
20.5%
MA avg
20.2%

Spending & teachers

Spending per student$24.2Kin FY2024 · MA median $21.8K
$2,395 above the MA median
$0K$13K$25KThis district$24.2KMA median$21.8K20162018202020222024
Teacher salary$94.7Kin 2023-24 · MA median $91.4K
$3,268 above the MA median
$0K$48K$95KThis district$94.7KMA median$91.4K20162018202020222024
Teachers who stayedfrom last yearBetter than average
This district
90.7%
MA avg
84.7%
Principals who stayedfrom last yearWorse than average
This district
75%
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 146 full-time-equivalent teachers.

Attendance

Attendance rateAbout average
This district
93.1%
MA avg
93.7%
Chronically absentmissed 10%+ of daysWorse than average
This district
20%
MA avg
16.9%

12 days absent per student (MA avg 11) · 4.2% missed 20% or more of school days

About Bourne

Barnstable County · South Coast & Cape Cod
Avg single-family home value$794KMA median $588K
Avg property tax bill$6,075MA median $6,814
Tax rate$7.60 per $1,000MA median $12.40
Income per person$49,349MA median $47,872
Local kids in public school95.6%
Town bond ratingAA+
Free cash reserves8.9% of budget
Where school-age children in Bourne go to school · 2024-2025
Local public schools
72.1%
Vocational schools
10.2%
Other public schools
8%
Charter schools
5.3%
Home school
2.7%
Private schools
1.8%

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 Bourne with nearby districts

Bourne vs Sandwich#80B+ · 6 miBourne vs Wareham#219C+ · 6 miBourne vs Falmouth#153B- · 9 miBourne vs Mashpee#172B- · 9 miBourne vs Barnstable#196C+ · 13 mi

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