Massachusetts regional school district

Central Berkshire

1 high school and 3 elementary schools in our rankings

overall grade

Students from Becket, Cummington, Dalton, Hinsdale, Peru, Washington and Windsor attend Central Berkshire schools, including Wahconah Regional High School.

Ranks #130 of 328 Massachusetts school districts — top 40%.

Overall rank

#130

of 328 districts

MCAS ELA

45%

State 41% in the same grades

MCAS Math

44%

State 41% in the same grades

Spending per student

$19,833

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.

Central Berkshire Regional School District serves seven small towns in the hilly northern and central Berkshires of western Massachusetts: Becket, Cummington, Dalton, Hinsdale, Peru, Washington, and Windsor, with Wahconah Regional High School in Dalton as its high school. The district's rural character reflects the region's forests, farmland, and reservoirs, and its towns are known for their outdoor recreation and small-town setting. Cummington's per capita income stands out among the district's communities, and the district's towns collectively offer a quiet, rural alternative to the larger population centers of the Berkshires. Dalton, the district's largest town, is home to a historic papermaking tradition, and the district's towns are spread across a wide area, connecting them through their shared regional high school.

How it compares

What stands out

Strongest area: ELA MCAS, in the top 26% of districts. 45% of students in grades 3–10 met or exceeded expectations in 2026, vs 41% statewide in the same grades.
Area to watch: AP results rank in the bottom 31% of districts.
Trend: Chronic absence has fallen from 25.5% in 2022 to 16.7% in 2025.

Where it stands among Massachusetts school districts

Bottom of MATop of MA

Overall

Averagetop 40% · #130

SAT

Averagebottom 46% · #159

ELA MCAS

Above averagetop 26% · #83

Math MCAS

Above averagetop 33% · #106

AP results

Below averagebottom 31% · #193

Graduation

Averagebottom 39% · #177

Attendance

Averagebottom 49% · #170

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 Central Berkshire

High schools · ranked among 335

Wahconah Regional High

Central Berkshire

C+

#187 in MASAT 1110Graduation 93%

Elementary schools · ranked among 895

Becket Washington School

Central Berkshire

#275 in MAELA 59%Math 47%

Craneville

Central Berkshire

#338 in MAELA 44%Math 48%

Kittredge

Central Berkshire

B-

#405 in MAELA 51%Math 46%

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 3–1045%in 2026 · state 41%

4 points above the state

Math, grades 3–1044%in 2026 · state 41%

2 points above the state

By grade, 2026 · the black tick marks the state

GradeELAMath

Grade 3

57%+14 vs state

52%+10 vs state

Grade 4

35%−2 vs state

50%+7 vs state

Grade 5

37%−1 vs state

52%+13 vs state

Grade 6

52%+12 vs state

41%−2 vs state

Grade 7

48%+8 vs state

35%−2 vs state

Grade 8

42%same as state

36%−6 vs state

Grade 10

43%−2 vs state

39%−5 vs state

Science, 2026

Grade 5 science

46%+3 vs state

Grade 8 science

50%+11 vs state

High school biology

49%+11 vs state

High school results

Average SATAbout average

This district

1110

MA avg

1113

AP exams scored 3+About average

This district

63.5%

MA avg

69.1%

Four-year graduation rateAbout average

This district

93.2%

MA avg

92.4%

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

Students & classrooms

Classrooms

Students in classes1,539

Average class size16.7MA avg 17.3

Who attends

White

86.1%

Hispanic/Latino

7.4%

Multi-Race

4.9%

Black/African American

0.8%

Asian

0.7%

American Indian/Alaska Native

0.1%

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

0.1%

50.4% female · 49.5% male · 0.1% nonbinary

Student needs

English learnersLower than average

This district

MA avg

8.5%

Students with disabilitiesAbout average

This district

20.3%

MA avg

20.2%

Spending & teachers

Spending per student$19.8Kin FY2024 · MA median $21.8K

$1,932 below the MA median

Teacher salary$86.4Kin 2023-24 · MA median $91.4K

$5,022 below the MA median

Teachers who stayedfrom last yearBetter than average

This district

91.9%

MA avg

84.7%

Principals who stayedfrom last yearAbout average

This district

80%

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 120 full-time-equivalent teachers.

Attendance

Attendance rateAbout average

This district

94.1%

MA avg

93.7%

Chronically absentmissed 10%+ of daysAbout average

This district

16.7%

MA avg

16.9%

10.4 days absent per student (MA avg 11) · 2.5% missed 20% or more of school days

About the towns

Becket

Berkshire County · Western Massachusetts

Avg single-family home value$384KMA median $588K

Avg property tax bill$3,670MA median $6,814

Tax rate$9.60 per $1,000MA median $12.40

Income per person$37,726MA median $47,872

Free cash reserves7.9% of budget

Cummington

Hampshire County · Western Massachusetts

Avg single-family home value$366KMA median $588K

Avg property tax bill$4,575MA median $6,814

Tax rate$12.50 per $1,000MA median $12.40

Income per person$79,502MA median $47,872

Dalton

Berkshire County · Western Massachusetts

Avg single-family home value$356KMA median $588K

Avg property tax bill$6,011MA median $6,814

Tax rate$16.90 per $1,000MA median $12.40

Income per person$38,962MA median $47,872

Hinsdale

Berkshire County · Western Massachusetts

Avg single-family home value$412KMA median $588K

Avg property tax bill$4,375MA median $6,814

Tax rate$10.60 per $1,000MA median $12.40

Income per person$43,699MA median $47,872

Free cash reserves7.9% of budget

Peru

Berkshire County · Western Massachusetts

Avg single-family home value$291KMA median $588K

Avg property tax bill$4,689MA median $6,814

Tax rate$16.10 per $1,000MA median $12.40

Income per person$26,519MA median $47,872

Washington

Berkshire County · Western Massachusetts

Avg single-family home value$377KMA median $588K

Avg property tax bill$5,204MA median $6,814

Tax rate$13.80 per $1,000MA median $12.40

Income per person$35,508MA median $47,872

Free cash reserves22.6% of budget

Windsor

Berkshire County · Western Massachusetts

Avg single-family home value$302KMA median $588K

Avg property tax bill$2,846MA median $6,814

Tax rate$9.40 per $1,000MA median $12.40

Income per person$38,398MA median $47,872

Free cash reserves4.9% of budget

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 Central Berkshire with nearby districts

Central Berkshire vs Worthington#314C- · 7 mi Central Berkshire vs Pittsfield#191C+ · 10 mi Central Berkshire vs Lenox#60B+ · 11 mi Central Berkshire vs Lee#127B · 12 mi

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