Rank

Fairhaven

3 schools · 1 high school · 2 elementary schools · Fairhaven

Fairhaven is a public school district serving the town of Fairhaven, located on the South Coast between New Bedford and the Rhode Island border. The district operates two elementary schools and Fairhaven High School, which together serve a community with a strong maritime heritage and traditional New England character. With a graduation rate of 92.9%, Fairhaven demonstrates solid student outcomes, and the district benefits from relatively modest tax bills compared to other Massachusetts communities, making it accessible to a range of families.

Avg MCAS ELA

52%

#141 of 326

Avg MCAS Math

46%

#146 of 326

Avg SAT

1,115

#152 of 290

Attendance

93.4%

#208 of 328

Graduation Rate

92.9%

#179 of 288

AP Pass Rate

77.2%

#109 of 278

Per-Pupil Spending

$18,260

#287 of 325

Avg Teacher Salary

$82,224

#258 of 325

MCAS Performance by Grade

Grade	ELA M+E%	Math M+E%	Sci M+E%	Avg Score	Students
Grade 3	56%	49%	—	501	113
Grade 4	50%	47%	—	497	120
Grade 5	49%	57%	56%	504	133
Grade 6	37%	33%	—	492	127
Grade 7	41%	46%	—	495	139
Grade 8	37%	39%	39%	492	145
Grade 10	44%	39%	29%	497	127
HS Science	—	—	31%	490	144

Showing 2025 data

Student Demographics

White: 80.5%

Asian: 1.9%

Hispanic: 9.4%

Black: 2.5%

Multi-Race: 5.3%

Am. Indian: 0.4%

Female: 48.4%Male: 51.6%

High Schools in Fairhaven

Rank

Grade

School

SAT

MCAS ELA

MCAS Math

Grad

Elementary Schools in Fairhaven

Rank

Grade

School

MCAS ELA

MCAS Math

Attend.

Class Size

District Operations

Attendance

#208 of 328

Attendance Rate93.4%

Avg Days Absent12

Chronically Absent (10%+)17.3%

Chronically Absent (20%+)5.3%

Per-Pupil Expenditure

#287 of 325

In-District Per Pupil$17,287

Total Per Pupil$18,260

Total FTE Students1,822

Teacher Salaries

#258 of 325

Average Salary$82,224

Teacher FTE Count137

Salary vs. Town Income2.1x(above town avg)

Teacher salary is 2.1x the town's per capita income ($39,809). Teachers earn well above the community per capita income. The MA median ratio is about 1.9x.

Class Size & Populations

#61 of 327

Avg Class Size15

English Learners2.2%

Students w/ Disabilities17.1%

Total Students1,737

Staffing & Retention

#50 of 327

Teacher Retention91.5%

Principal Retention100%

Total Teachers142

Attendance: 2024-2025 · Expenditure: 2024 · Salaries: 2023-2024 · Class Size: 2024-2025 · Staffing: 2025

Town Data

Fairhaven

Avg Assessed Value

$475,941

#172 of 235

Avg Tax Bill

$4,374

Income Per Capita

$39,809

#175 of 235

Tax Bill Rank

#323

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 Rate0.92%

Tax as % of Income10.99%(below avg)

Bond RatingAA+(excellent)

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

$31.2M+1.22% levy growth(typical)

Residential$17.0M

Commercial/Industrial$14.2M

Residential Share37.74%(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 3.7% (2.5% base + 1.22% from new growth). The MA median is about 1.2%; above 1.5% is strong, below 0.8% signals limited development. The residential share (37.74%) 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

$4.2M6.4% of operating budget

Free cash is the town's unencumbered surplus funds. 5-10% of budget is considered healthy. Operating budget: $65.5M.

Where Children Attend School

Local Public: 1,697(81.8%)

Vocational: 160(7.7%)

Charter: 2(0.1%)

Private: 97(4.7%)

Home School: 23(1.1%)

Total: 2,075