Norwell
1 high school and 2 elementary schools in our rankings · serves Norwell
Ranks #20 of 328 Massachusetts school districts — top 7%.
MCAS is the share of students meeting or exceeding expectations in 2026, grades 3–10 combined. Spending is total per-pupil expenditure in FY2024.
Norwell is a suburban town on the South Shore, roughly 25 miles southeast of Boston, in Plymouth County. The town is among the more affluent communities in the region, with high single-family assessed home values and per capita income well above the state average. Norwell retains a largely residential, semi-rural character with wooded neighborhoods, open conservation land, and a strong connection to its colonial-era roots. The town was incorporated in 1849 after separating from neighboring Hingham, and it has long been known for its agricultural history and for the Old Ordway Homestead and historic village center.
How it compares
- Strongest area: Graduation rate, in the top 6% of districts. 99.3% of high school students graduate in four years, vs 92.4% for the average MA district.
- Relative weak spot: SAT scores rank in the top 38% of districts, below its other categories.
- Top school: Norwell High, #31 of 335 Massachusetts high schools.
- Trend: Chronic absence has fallen from 16.1% in 2022 to 7.7% in 2025.
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 Norwell
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 (Norwell High). "MA avg" is the average of all Massachusetts districts with high school data.
Students & classrooms
47.3% female · 52.5% male · 0.1% nonbinary
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 168 full-time-equivalent teachers.
Attendance
8.8 days absent per student (MA avg 11) · 1.1% missed 20% or more of school days
About Norwell
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 Norwell with nearby districts
Side by side: test scores, spending, class size, home values and taxes. Distance is between district centers. Compare with any district