Massachusetts public school district

Norton

1 high school and 2 elementary schools in our rankings · serves Norton

B-

overall grade

Ranks #171 of 328 Massachusetts school districts.

Overall rank

#171

of 328 districts

MCAS ELA

38%

State 41% in the same grades

MCAS Math

34%

State 41% in the same grades

Spending per student

$20,978

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.

Norton is a suburban town in Bristol County, located about 35 miles south of Boston and bordering Attleboro and Mansfield. The Norton Public Schools district serves the town, with Norton High School as its secondary school. Norton is known for its mix of residential neighborhoods and open land, and it is home to Wheaton College, a private liberal arts college founded in 1834. The town's character blends small-town community life with easy access to the Route 495 and Route 24 corridors.

How it compares

What stands out

Strongest area: SAT scores, in the top 44% of districts. Its high schools average 1132 on the SAT, vs 1113 for the average MA district.
Area to watch: Attendance ranks in the bottom 27% of districts.
Trend: MCAS results and attendance have held steady over the past three years.

Where it stands among Massachusetts school districts

Bottom of MATop of MA

Overall

Averagebottom 49% · #171

SAT

Averagetop 44% · #125

ELA MCAS

Averagebottom 43% · #187

Math MCAS

Below averagebottom 31% · #227

AP results

Averagebottom 47% · #149

Graduation

Averagebottom 45% · #160

Attendance

Below averagebottom 27% · #241

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 Norton

High schools · ranked among 335

Norton High

Norton

B-

#135 in MASAT 1132Graduation 94%

Elementary schools · ranked among 895

L G Nourse Elementary

Norton

B-

#420 in MAELA 47%Math 45%

J C Solmonese

Norton

C+

#623 in MAELA 37%Math 30%

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 3–1038%in 2026 · state 41%

2 points below the state

Math, grades 3–1034%in 2026 · state 41%

7 points below the state

By grade, 2026 · the black tick marks the state

GradeELAMath

Grade 3

39%−4 vs state

31%−11 vs state

Grade 4

33%−4 vs state

44%+1 vs state

Grade 5

34%−4 vs state

29%−10 vs state

Grade 6

37%−3 vs state

28%−15 vs state

Grade 7

42%+2 vs state

30%−7 vs state

Grade 8

39%−3 vs state

Grade 10

46%+1 vs state

38%−6 vs state

Science, 2026

Grade 5 science

33%−10 vs state

Grade 8 science

36%−3 vs state

High school biology

37%−1 vs state

High school results

Average SATAbout average

This district

1132

MA avg

1113

AP exams scored 3+About average

This district

72.5%

MA avg

69.1%

Four-year graduation rateBetter than average

This district

94.1%

MA avg

92.4%

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

Students & classrooms

Classrooms

Students in classes2,357

Average class size17.4MA avg 17.3

Who attends

White

82.3%

Black/African American

Hispanic/Latino

5.1%

Multi-Race

4.4%

Asian

2.1%

48.9% female · 51.1% male

Student needs

English learnersLower than average

This district

2.7%

MA avg

8.5%

Students with disabilitiesHigher than average

This district

23.5%

MA avg

20.2%

Spending & teachers

Spending per student$21.0Kin FY2024 · MA median $21.8K

$787 below the MA median

Teacher salary$99.0Kin 2023-24 · MA median $91.4K

$7,573 above the MA median

Teachers who stayedfrom last yearAbout average

This district

86.7%

MA avg

84.7%

Principals who stayedfrom last yearAbout average

This district

80%

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 190 full-time-equivalent teachers.

Attendance

Attendance rateAbout average

This district

93.4%

MA avg

93.7%

Chronically absentmissed 10%+ of daysAbout average

This district

18.1%

MA avg

16.9%

11.7 days absent per student (MA avg 11) · 4.1% missed 20% or more of school days

About Norton

Bristol County · South Coast & Cape Cod

Avg single-family home value$565KMA median $588K

Avg property tax bill$7,367MA median $6,814

Tax rate$13.00 per $1,000MA median $12.40

Income per person$46,631MA median $47,872

Local kids in public school93.2%

Town bond ratingAA+

Free cash reserves5.5% of budget

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

Local public schools

84.6%

Private schools

4.5%

Vocational schools

3.5%

Other public schools

2.9%

Home school

2.3%

Charter schools

2.1%

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 Norton with nearby districts

Norton vs Mansfield#52B+ · 4 mi Norton vs Attleboro#159B- · 6 mi Norton vs Taunton#225C+ · 6 mi Norton vs Easton#73B+ · 6 mi Norton vs North Attleborough#148B- · 8 mi Norton vs Bridgewater-Raynham#169B- · 9 mi Norton vs West Bridgewater#201C+ · 9 mi

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