Lowell
1 high school and 15 elementary schools in our rankings · serves Lowell
Ranks #224 of 328 Massachusetts school districts.
MCAS is the share of students meeting or exceeding expectations in 2026, grades 3–10 combined. Spending is total per-pupil expenditure in FY2024.
Lowell is a city of roughly 30 miles northwest of Boston, situated along the Merrimack River in Middlesex County. Known as a major center of the American Industrial Revolution, Lowell grew around its historic textile mills, which are now preserved within the Lowell National Historical Park. The city is home to the University of Massachusetts Lowell and a diverse population, and its public school district serves students through Lowell High School. Single-family assessed home values in the city are near the Massachusetts median.
How it compares
- Best of its categories: AP results, in the bottom 38% of districts. 67% of AP exams at its high schools scored 3 or higher, vs 69% for the average MA district.
- Area to watch: Graduation rate ranks in the bottom 10% of districts.
- Trend: Chronic absence has fallen from 38.5% in 2022 to 21.4% in 2025.
- Trend: Math MCAS is up 5.4 points since 2023 (26.3562% to 31.7145%).
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 Lowell
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.
High school results
Averages of the district's ranked high schools (Lowell High). "MA avg" is the average of all Massachusetts districts with high school data.
Students & classrooms
48.1% female · 51.9% male
Spending & teachers
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 1,159 full-time-equivalent teachers.
Attendance
12.7 days absent per student (MA avg 11) · 6.3% missed 20% or more of school days
About Lowell
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 Lowell with nearby districts
Side by side: test scores, spending, class size, home values and taxes. Distance is between district centers. Compare with any district