Massachusetts public school district

Leicester

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

C+

overall grade

Ranks #183 of 328 Massachusetts school districts.

Overall rank

#183

of 328 districts

MCAS ELA

28%

State 41% in the same grades

MCAS Math

26%

State 41% in the same grades

Spending per student

$20,465

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.

Leicester is a suburban town in Worcester County, located about 8 miles east of the city of Worcester in central Massachusetts. The Leicester Public Schools district serves the town's students through Leicester High School and its associated K-12 schools. Leicester is known for its rural and residential character, with open land and conservation areas. The town was settled in the 1700s and is part of the historic Worcester County region that played a role in the early development of American manufacturing.

How it compares

What stands out

Strongest area: AP results, in the top 38% of districts. 78% of AP exams at its high schools scored 3 or higher, vs 69% for the average MA district.
Area to watch: ELA MCAS ranks in the bottom 29% of districts.
Trend: Chronic absence has fallen from 31.3% in 2022 to 16.7% in 2025.
Trend: Math MCAS is down 6.9 points since 2023 (33.259% to 26.4027%).

Where it stands among Massachusetts school districts

Bottom of MATop of MA

Overall

Averagebottom 45% · #183

SAT

Below averagebottom 35% · #191

ELA MCAS

Below averagebottom 29% · #234

Math MCAS

Below averagebottom 35% · #214

AP results

Averagetop 38% · #104

Graduation

Below averagebottom 32% · #198

Attendance

Below averagebottom 32% · #225

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 Leicester

High schools · ranked among 335

Leicester High

Leicester

B-

#140 in MASAT 1090Graduation 91%

Elementary schools · ranked among 895

Leicester Elementary

Leicester

C+

#613 in MAELA 30%Math 33%

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 3–1028%in 2026 · state 41%

13 points below the state

Math, grades 3–1026%in 2026 · state 41%

15 points below the state

By grade, 2026 · the black tick marks the state

GradeELAMath

Grade 3

33%−10 vs state

36%−6 vs state

Grade 4

30%−7 vs state

27%−16 vs state

Grade 5

15%−23 vs state

13%−26 vs state

Grade 6

21%−19 vs state

23%−20 vs state

Grade 7

29%−11 vs state

24%−13 vs state

Grade 8

31%−11 vs state

29%−13 vs state

Grade 10

36%−9 vs state

33%−11 vs state

Science, 2026

Grade 5 science

27%−16 vs state

Grade 8 science

28%−11 vs state

High school biology

40%+2 vs state

High school results

Average SATWorse than average

This district

1090

MA avg

1113

AP exams scored 3+Better than average

This district

78.4%

MA avg

69.1%

Four-year graduation rateAbout average

This district

91.1%

MA avg

92.4%

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

Students & classrooms

Classrooms

Students in classes1,310

Average class size16.2MA avg 17.3

Who attends

White

65.2%

Hispanic/Latino

19.1%

Black/African American

7.6%

Multi-Race

4.2%

Asian

3.4%

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

0.3%

American Indian/Alaska Native

0.2%

49.4% female · 50.6% male · 0.1% nonbinary

Student needs

English learnersAbout average

This district

7.4%

MA avg

8.5%

Students with disabilitiesAbout average

This district

20%

MA avg

20.2%

Spending & teachers

Spending per student$20.5Kin FY2024 · MA median $21.8K

$1,300 below the MA median

Teacher salary$76.8Kin 2023-24 · MA median $91.4K

$14,553 below the MA median

Teachers who stayedfrom last yearAbout average

This district

84.8%

MA avg

84.7%

Principals who stayedfrom last yearWorse than average

This district

66.7%

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 109 full-time-equivalent teachers.

Attendance

Attendance rateAbout average

This district

93.8%

MA avg

93.7%

Chronically absentmissed 10%+ of daysAbout average

This district

16.7%

MA avg

16.9%

10.5 days absent per student (MA avg 11) · 3.1% missed 20% or more of school days

About Leicester

Worcester County · Central Massachusetts

Avg single-family home value$453KMA median $588K

Avg property tax bill$5,026MA median $6,814

Tax rate$11.10 per $1,000MA median $12.40

Income per person$39,641MA median $47,872

Local kids in public school93.5%

Town bond ratingAA+

Free cash reserves4.3% of budget

Where school-age children in Leicester go to school · 2024-2025

Local public schools

81.5%

Other public schools

10%

Private schools

4.8%

Charter schools

Home school

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 Leicester with nearby districts

Leicester vs Auburn#140B- · 4 mi Leicester vs Spencer-E Brookfield#229C+ · 5 mi Leicester vs Worcester#249C · 6 mi Leicester vs Millbury#154B- · 8 mi Leicester vs Oxford#187C+ · 8 mi Leicester vs North Brookfield#294C- · 8 mi Leicester vs Dudley-Charlton Reg#206C+ · 10 mi Leicester vs Wachusett#79B+ · 11 mi Leicester vs Quabbin#197C+ · 14 mi

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