Rank
106
B
North Middlesex
4 schools · 1 high school · 3 elementary schools · Ashby, Pepperell, Townsend · Regional District
North Middlesex Regional School District serves three towns in north-central Massachusetts—Ashby, Pepperell, and Townsend—located roughly 40 miles northwest of Boston near the New Hampshire border. The district encompasses a rural and small-town character, with Pepperell being the largest of the three communities. North Middlesex Regional High School ranks #106 statewide and supports a 94.6% graduation rate, reflecting solid academic performance across the region. The three towns offer a mix of assessed home values and tax structures, with Pepperell having the highest single-family assessed values among the trio.
Avg MCAS ELA
59%
#93 of 326
Avg MCAS Math
49%
#127 of 326
Avg SAT
1,097
#183 of 290
Attendance
93.8%
#161 of 328
Graduation Rate
94.6%
#146 of 288
AP Pass Rate
65.8%
#180 of 278
Per-Pupil Spending
$20,548
#209 of 325
Avg Teacher Salary
$83,109
#247 of 325
MCAS Performance by Grade
| Grade | ELA M+E% | Math M+E% | Sci M+E% | Avg Score | Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 52% | 54% | — | 501 | 239 |
| Grade 4 | 37% | 43% | — | 496 | 261 |
| Grade 5 | 34% | 27% | 48% | 491 | 234 |
| Grade 6 | 38% | 32% | — | 491 | 238 |
| Grade 7 | 39% | 27% | — | 490 | 231 |
| Grade 8 | 43% | 36% | 38% | 493 | 230 |
| Grade 10 | 57% | 44% | 58% | 500 | 171 |
| HS Science | — | — | 44% | 497 | 143 |
Showing 2025 data
Student Demographics
White: 79.9%
Asian: 2.4%
Hispanic: 10.1%
Black: 3.6%
Multi-Race: 3.7%
Am. Indian: 0.2%
Pac. Islander: 0.1%
Female: 49.3%Male: 50.6%Non-binary: 0.1%
High Schools in North Middlesex
Rank
Grade
School
SAT
MCAS ELA
MCAS Math
AP
Grad
139
B-
North Middlesex Regional
SAT
1,097
ELA
59%
Math
46%
Grad
94.6%
139
B-
North Middlesex Regional
1,097
59%
46%
65.8%
94.6%
Elementary Schools in North Middlesex
Rank
Grade
School
MCAS ELA
MCAS Math
Attend.
Class Size
277
B
Spaulding Memorial
ELA
53%
Math
57%
Attend.
95%
Class
22
277
B
Spaulding Memorial
53%
57%
95%
22
299
B
Ashby Elementary
ELA
76%
Math
36%
Attend.
95.1%
Class
21
299
B
Ashby Elementary
76%
36%
95.1%
21
353
B
Varnum Brook
ELA
48%
Math
57%
Attend.
94.5%
Class
23
353
B
Varnum Brook
48%
57%
94.5%
23
District Operations
Attendance
#161 of 328Attendance Rate93.8%
Avg Days Absent11
Chronically Absent (10%+)16.1%
Chronically Absent (20%+)3.1%
Per-Pupil Expenditure
#209 of 325In-District Per Pupil$18,662
Total Per Pupil$20,548
Total FTE Students3,195
Teacher Salaries
#247 of 325Average Salary$83,109
Teacher FTE Count240
Salary vs. Town Income1.9x(above town avg)
Teacher salary is 1.9x the town's per capita income ($44,148). Teachers earn well above the community per capita income. The MA median ratio is about 1.9x.
Class Size & Populations
#302 of 327Avg Class Size21
English Learners3.8%
Students w/ Disabilities26.2%
Total Students2,917
Staffing & Retention
#106 of 327Teacher Retention89.3%
Principal Retention71.4%
Total Teachers243
Attendance: 2024-2025 · Expenditure: 2024 · Salaries: 2023-2024 · Class Size: 2024-2025 · Staffing: 2025
Town Data
Ashby
Avg Assessed Value
$394,983
#175 of 235
Avg Tax Bill
$6,225
Income Per Capita
$40,401
#147 of 235
Tax Bill Rank
#210
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 Rate1.58%
Tax as % of Income15.41%(typical)
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.
New Growth
$3.3M+0.68% levy growth(low)
Residential$2.8M
Commercial/Industrial$515K
Residential Share84.32%(mostly homes)
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 3.2% (2.5% base + 0.68% from new growth). The MA median is about 1.2%; above 1.5% is strong, below 0.8% signals limited development. The residential share (84.32%) 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
$743K6.9% of operating budget
Free cash is the town's unencumbered surplus funds. 5-10% of budget is considered healthy. Operating budget: $10.8M.
Pepperell
Avg Assessed Value
$549,948
#175 of 235
Avg Tax Bill
$7,578
Income Per Capita
$49,847
#147 of 235
Tax Bill Rank
#137
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 Rate1.38%
Tax as % of Income15.2%(typical)
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.
New Growth
$15.5M+0.81% levy growth(typical)
Residential$10.3M
Commercial/Industrial$5.3M
Residential Share66.21%(typical)
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 3.3% (2.5% base + 0.81% from new growth). The MA median is about 1.2%; above 1.5% is strong, below 0.8% signals limited development. The residential share (66.21%) 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
$1.2M3.2% of operating budget
Free cash is the town's unencumbered surplus funds. 5-10% of budget is considered healthy. Operating budget: $36.0M.
Townsend
Avg Assessed Value
$469,723
#175 of 235
Avg Tax Bill
$6,459
Income Per Capita
$42,197
#147 of 235
Tax Bill Rank
#194
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 Rate1.38%
Tax as % of Income15.31%(typical)
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.
New Growth
$9.3M+0.67% levy growth(low)
Residential$6.4M
Commercial/Industrial$2.9M
Residential Share68.89%(typical)
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 3.2% (2.5% base + 0.67% from new growth). The MA median is about 1.2%; above 1.5% is strong, below 0.8% signals limited development. The residential share (68.89%) 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
$559K2.0% of operating budget
Free cash is the town's unencumbered surplus funds. 5-10% of budget is considered healthy. Operating budget: $27.8M.