Massachusetts regional school district

Frontier

1 high school and 4 elementary schools in our rankings

overall grade

Students from Conway, Deerfield, Sunderland and Whately attend Frontier schools, including Frontier Regional.

Ranks #107 of 328 Massachusetts school districts — top 33%.

Overall rank

#107

of 328 districts

MCAS ELA

43%

State 41% in the same grades

MCAS Math

45%

State 41% in the same grades

Spending per student

$22,836

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.

Frontier Regional School District serves the towns of Conway, Deerfield, Sunderland, and Whately in Franklin County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts. The towns are largely rural and agricultural, with Deerfield located along the Connecticut River and the Deerfield River flowing through the area. Conway, in particular, reflects the region's character, and the district's towns share a historical link to the Pocumtuck Valley, where the Deerfield Academy and the historic Deerfield village draw visitors interested in the area's colonial-era heritage. Frontier Regional High School serves students from all four communities.

How it compares

What stands out

Strongest area: SAT scores, in the top 12% of districts. Its high schools average 1226 on the SAT, vs 1113 for the average MA district.
Area to watch: Graduation rate ranks in the bottom 24% of districts.
Top school: Conway Grammar, #90 of 895 Massachusetts elementary schools.
Trend: Chronic absence has fallen from 26.2% in 2022 to 15.1% in 2025.

Where it stands among Massachusetts school districts

Bottom of MATop of MA

Overall

Above averagetop 33% · #107

SAT

Above averagetop 12% · #33

ELA MCAS

Above averagetop 35% · #112

Math MCAS

Above averagetop 35% · #113

AP results

Above averagetop 16% · #42

Graduation

Below averagebottom 24% · #220

Attendance

Averagetop 47% · #154

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 Frontier

High schools · ranked among 335

Frontier Regional

Frontier

B+

#70 in MASAT 1226Graduation 89%

Elementary schools · ranked among 895

Conway Grammar

Frontier

A-

#90 in MAELA 70%Math 73%

Sunderland Elementary

Frontier

B-

#425 in MAELA 49%Math 49%

Deerfield Elementary

Frontier

B-

#463 in MAELA 44%Math 47%

Whately Elementary

Frontier

C+

#543 in MAELA 44%Math 35%

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 3–1043%in 2026 · state 41%

2 points above the state

Math, grades 3–1045%in 2026 · state 41%

4 points above the state

By grade, 2026 · the black tick marks the state

GradeELAMath

Grade 3

51%+8 vs state

43%+1 vs state

Grade 4

34%−3 vs state

47%+4 vs state

Grade 5

37%−1 vs state

45%+6 vs state

Grade 6

49%+9 vs state

40%−3 vs state

Grade 7

41%+1 vs state

44%+7 vs state

Grade 8

35%−7 vs state

41%−1 vs state

Grade 10

54%+9 vs state

63%+19 vs state

Science, 2026

Grade 5 science

55%+12 vs state

Grade 8 science

42%+3 vs state

High school biology

42%+4 vs state

High school results

Average SATBetter than average

This district

1226

MA avg

1113

AP exams scored 3+Better than average

This district

87.7%

MA avg

69.1%

Four-year graduation rateWorse than average

This district

89%

MA avg

92.4%

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

Students & classrooms

Classrooms

Students in classes592

Average class size11.1MA avg 17.3

Who attends

White

82.5%

Hispanic/Latino

8.4%

Multi-Race

5.2%

Black/African American

Asian

1.9%

50.2% female · 48.7% male · 1.2% nonbinary

Student needs

English learnersLower than average

This district

0.5%

MA avg

8.5%

Students with disabilitiesAbout average

This district

21.1%

MA avg

20.2%

Spending & teachers

Spending per student$22.8Kin FY2024 · MA median $21.8K

$1,071 above the MA median

Teacher salary$78.3Kin 2023-24 · MA median $91.4K

$13,076 below the MA median

Teachers who stayedfrom last yearBetter than average

This district

94.4%

MA avg

84.7%

Principals who stayedfrom last yearBetter than average

This district

100%

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 52 full-time-equivalent teachers.

Attendance

Attendance rateAbout average

This district

93.2%

MA avg

93.7%

Chronically absentmissed 10%+ of daysBetter than average

This district

15.1%

MA avg

16.9%

12.1 days absent per student (MA avg 11) · 4% missed 20% or more of school days

About the towns

Conway

Franklin County · Western Massachusetts

Avg single-family home value$444KMA median $588K

Avg property tax bill$6,335MA median $6,814

Tax rate$14.30 per $1,000MA median $12.40

Income per person$77,069MA median $47,872

Local kids in public school87%

Free cash reserves10.8% of budget

Deerfield

Franklin County · Western Massachusetts

Avg single-family home value$467KMA median $588K

Avg property tax bill$6,283MA median $6,814

Tax rate$13.50 per $1,000MA median $12.40

Income per person$49,737MA median $47,872

Local kids in public school82.9%

Free cash reserves10.9% of budget

Sunderland

Franklin County · Western Massachusetts

Avg single-family home value$478KMA median $588K

Avg property tax bill$5,947MA median $6,814

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

Income per person$33,627MA median $47,872

Local kids in public school90.9%

Town bond ratingAA

Free cash reserves5% of budget

Whately

Franklin County · Western Massachusetts

Avg single-family home value$448KMA median $588K

Avg property tax bill$5,850MA median $6,814

Tax rate$13.10 per $1,000MA median $12.40

Income per person$24,708MA median $47,872

Local kids in public school92.8%

Free cash reserves10.6% of budget

Where school-age children in these towns go to school · 2024-2025

Local public schools

44.5%

Regional schools

31.3%

Private schools

9.2%

Other public schools

4.6%

Vocational schools

4.5%

Home school

4.2%

Charter schools

1.6%

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 Frontier with nearby districts

Frontier vs Hatfield#152B- · 6 mi Frontier vs Hadley#117B · 9 mi Frontier vs Greenfield#286C- · 9 mi Frontier vs Gill-Montague#255C · 10 mi Frontier vs Amherst-Pelham#99B · 10 mi Frontier vs Northampton#128B · 11 mi Frontier vs Chesterfield-Goshen#283C- · 11 mi Frontier vs Hampshire#94B · 12 mi Frontier vs Mohawk Trail#211C+ · 13 mi

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