Rank
206
C+
Peabody
8 schools · 1 high school · 7 elementary schools · Peabody
Peabody is a public school district serving the North Shore community of the same name, located approximately 20 miles north of Boston. The district operates seven elementary schools and one high school, Peabody Veterans Memorial High, which serves a diverse student population in this historically industrial city. Known for its leather-tanning heritage in the 19th and 20th centuries, Peabody has evolved into a vibrant North Shore suburb with a significant immigrant community that enriches the district's cultural fabric. The district's graduation rate of 85.7% reflects solid academic performance for a mid-ranked Massachusetts district.
Avg MCAS ELA
36.5%
#248 of 326
Avg MCAS Math
34.8%
#230 of 326
Avg SAT
1,088
#196 of 290
Attendance
92.9%
#186 of 328
Graduation Rate
85.7%
#248 of 288
AP Pass Rate
63.7%
#191 of 278
Per-Pupil Spending
$20,628
#207 of 325
Avg Teacher Salary
$92,811
#146 of 325
MCAS Performance by Grade
| Grade | ELA M+E% | Math M+E% | Sci M+E% | Avg Score | Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 35% | 32% | — | 489 | 499 |
| Grade 4 | 30% | 35% | — | 489 | 438 |
| Grade 5 | 31% | 34% | 32% | 491 | 455 |
| Grade 6 | 28% | 29% | — | 488 | 462 |
| Grade 7 | 25% | 25% | — | 482 | 407 |
| Grade 8 | 27% | 33% | 33% | 486 | 449 |
| Grade 10 | 24% | 21% | 27% | 484 | 346 |
| HS Science | — | — | 22% | 483 | 290 |
Showing 2025 data
Student Demographics
White: 58.5%
Asian: 2.6%
Hispanic: 28.8%
Black: 6.4%
Multi-Race: 3.3%
Am. Indian: 0.3%
Pac. Islander: 0.1%
Female: 49.3%Male: 50.7%Non-binary: 0.1%
High Schools in Peabody
Rank
Grade
School
SAT
MCAS ELA
MCAS Math
AP
Grad
236
C
Peabody Veterans Memorial High
SAT
1,088
ELA
25%
Math
23%
Grad
85.7%
236
C
Peabody Veterans Memorial High
1,088
25%
23%
63.7%
85.7%
Elementary Schools in Peabody
Rank
Grade
School
MCAS ELA
MCAS Math
Attend.
Class Size
232
B
John E Burke
ELA
55%
Math
64%
Attend.
94.1%
Class
18
232
B
John E Burke
55%
64%
94.1%
18
362
B
John E. McCarthy
ELA
40%
Math
45%
Attend.
93.4%
Class
21
362
B
John E. McCarthy
40%
45%
93.4%
21
363
B-
West Memorial
ELA
49%
Math
49%
Attend.
94.9%
Class
18
363
B-
West Memorial
49%
49%
94.9%
18
450
B-
South Memorial
ELA
49%
Math
40%
Attend.
95%
Class
20
450
B-
South Memorial
49%
40%
95%
20
698
C
Captain Samuel Brown
ELA
26%
Math
24%
Attend.
94.6%
Class
13
698
C
Captain Samuel Brown
26%
24%
94.6%
13
769
C
Thomas Carroll
ELA
31%
Math
17%
Attend.
93.7%
Class
21
769
C
Thomas Carroll
31%
17%
93.7%
21
823
C-
William A Welch Sr
ELA
17%
Math
16%
Attend.
93.3%
Class
22
823
C-
William A Welch Sr
17%
16%
93.3%
22
District Operations
Attendance
#186 of 328Attendance Rate92.9%
Avg Days Absent12
Chronically Absent (10%+)22.6%
Chronically Absent (20%+)4.9%
Per-Pupil Expenditure
#207 of 325In-District Per Pupil$19,148
Total Per Pupil$20,628
Total FTE Students6,253
Teacher Salaries
#146 of 325Average Salary$92,811
Teacher FTE Count480
Salary vs. Town Income2.3x(above town avg)
Teacher salary is 2.3x the town's per capita income ($40,500). Teachers earn well above the community per capita income. The MA median ratio is about 1.9x.
Class Size & Populations
#203 of 327Avg Class Size18
English Learners16.8%
Students w/ Disabilities18.6%
Total Students5,825
Staffing & Retention
#81 of 327Teacher Retention90.2%
Principal Retention81.8%
Total Teachers481
Attendance: 2024-2025 · Expenditure: 2024 · Salaries: 2023-2024 · Class Size: 2024-2025 · Staffing: 2025
Town Data
Peabody
Avg Assessed Value
$676,944
#104 of 235
Avg Tax Bill
$6,411
Income Per Capita
$40,500
#170 of 235
Tax Bill Rank
#197
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 Rate0.95%
Tax as % of Income15.83%(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
$87.5M+0.78% levy growth(low)
Residential$54.2M
Commercial/Industrial$33.3M
Residential Share44.22%(diverse)
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 + 0.78% from new growth). The MA median is about 1.2%; above 1.5% is strong, below 0.8% signals limited development. The residential share (44.22%) 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
$9.9M4.8% of operating budget
Free cash is the town's unencumbered surplus funds. 5-10% of budget is considered healthy. Operating budget: $207.3M.
Where Children Attend School
Local Public: 5,497(77.8%)
Vocational: 451(6.4%)
Charter: 145(2.1%)
Private: 775(11.0%)
Home School: 56(0.8%)
Total: 7,063