Massachusetts public school district

Southbridge

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

C-

overall grade

Ranks #326 of 328 Massachusetts school districts.

Overall rank

#326

of 328 districts

MCAS ELA

16%

State 41% in the same grades

MCAS Math

15%

State 41% in the same grades

Spending per student

$23,769

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.

Southbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, located in the state's south-central region near the Connecticut border and roughly 20 miles south of the city of Worcester. The Southbridge Public Schools district serves the town and operates Southbridge High School. The town is known for its industrial heritage, particularly its historic manufacturing ties, and it is home to Tantasqua... no, to correct that: Southbridge is recognized for its historic manufacturing legacy and its role as a regional center in the Quinebaug Valley. The town's residential character is largely suburban and small-town, with a mix of single-family neighborhoods and established local amenities.

How it compares

What stands out

Best of its categories: AP results, in the bottom 5% of districts. 28% of AP exams at its high schools scored 3 or higher, vs 69% for the average MA district.
Trend: Chronic absence has fallen from 41% in 2022 to 36.9% in 2025.

Where it stands among Massachusetts school districts

Bottom of MATop of MA

Overall

Well below averagebottom 1% · #326

SAT

Well below averagebottom 1% · #290

ELA MCAS

Well below averagebottom 3% · #319

Math MCAS

Well below averagebottom 3% · #319

AP results

Well below averagebottom 5% · #267

Graduation

Well below averagebottom 3% · #282

Attendance

Well below averagebottom 3% · #320

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 Southbridge

High schools · ranked among 335

Southbridge High School

Southbridge

C-

#331 in MASAT 792Graduation 72%

Elementary schools · ranked among 895

West Street

Southbridge

C-

#872 in MAELA 9%Math 4%

Charlton Street

Southbridge

C-

#881 in MAELA 12%Math 7%

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 3–1016%in 2026 · state 41%

24 points below the state

Math, grades 3–1015%in 2026 · state 41%

27 points below the state

By grade, 2026 · the black tick marks the state

GradeELAMath

Grade 3

19%−24 vs state

12%−30 vs state

Grade 4

9%−28 vs state

11%−32 vs state

Grade 5

3%−35 vs state

3%−36 vs state

Grade 6

21%−19 vs state

17%−26 vs state

Grade 7

23%−17 vs state

16%−21 vs state

Grade 8

29%−13 vs state

34%−8 vs state

Grade 10

8%−37 vs state

8%−36 vs state

Science, 2026

Grade 5 science

5%−38 vs state

Grade 8 science

14%−25 vs state

High school biology

12%−26 vs state

High school results

Average SATWorse than average

This district

792

MA avg

1113

AP exams scored 3+Worse than average

This district

28.3%

MA avg

69.1%

Four-year graduation rateWorse than average

This district

71.5%

MA avg

92.4%

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

Students & classrooms

Classrooms

Students in classes1,836

Average class size15.8MA avg 17.3

Who attends

Hispanic/Latino

66.4%

White

24.3%

Black/African American

6.3%

Multi-Race

1.5%

Asian

1.1%

American Indian/Alaska Native

0.3%

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

0.1%

48.3% female · 51.6% male · 0.1% nonbinary

Student needs

English learnersHigher than average

This district

19.8%

MA avg

8.5%

Students with disabilitiesHigher than average

This district

28.1%

MA avg

20.2%

Spending & teachers

Spending per student$23.8Kin FY2024 · MA median $21.8K

$2,004 above the MA median

Teacher salary$75.7Kin 2023-24 · MA median $91.4K

$15,679 below the MA median

Teachers who stayedfrom last yearWorse than average

This district

61.8%

MA avg

84.7%

Principals who stayedfrom last yearWorse than average

This district

50%

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 171 full-time-equivalent teachers.

Attendance

Attendance rateWorse than average

This district

89.9%

MA avg

93.7%

Chronically absentmissed 10%+ of daysWorse than average

This district

36.9%

MA avg

16.9%

16.4 days absent per student (MA avg 11) · 12.3% missed 20% or more of school days

About Southbridge

Worcester County · Central Massachusetts

Avg single-family home value$340KMA median $588K

Avg property tax bill$5,070MA median $6,814

Tax rate$14.90 per $1,000MA median $12.40

Income per person$24,952MA median $47,872

Local kids in public school93.3%

Town bond ratingAA-

Free cash reserves2.3% of budget

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

Local public schools

68%

Other public schools

10.8%

Charter schools

7.3%

Vocational schools

7.2%

Private schools

Home school

2.7%

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 Southbridge with nearby districts

Southbridge vs Dudley-Charlton Reg#206C+ · 5 mi Southbridge vs Tantasqua#111B · 7 mi Southbridge vs Webster#290C- · 10 mi Southbridge vs Oxford#187C+ · 10 mi

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