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Massachusetts public school district

Taunton

1 high school and 6 elementary schools in our rankings · serves Taunton

C+
overall grade

Ranks #225 of 328 Massachusetts school districts.

Overall rank
#225
of 328 districts
MCAS ELA
28%
State 41% in the same grades
MCAS Math
23%
State 41% in the same grades
Spending per student
$19,590
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.

Taunton is a city in Bristol County, located about 35 miles south of Boston and serving as the seat of county government. The Taunton Public Schools district serves the city's students through a network of elementary, middle, and high schools, with Taunton High School as its main secondary institution. The city's single-family assessed home values sit near the Massachusetts median. Taunton was incorporated in 1639 and is known as one of the oldest settlements in the Old Colony region, and its Mill River and historic downtown reflect its long industrial past.

How it compares

What stands out
  • Best of its categories: Attendance, in the bottom 29% of districts. Students attend 92.3% of school days, vs 93.7% for the average MA district.
  • Trend: Chronic absence has fallen from 34.7% in 2022 to 23.8% in 2025.
Where it stands among Massachusetts school districts
Bottom of MATop of MA
Overall
Below averagebottom 32% · #225
SAT
Below averagebottom 23% · #225
ELA MCAS
Below averagebottom 20% · #263
Math MCAS
Below averagebottom 24% · #252
AP results
Below averagebottom 27% · #204
Graduation
Below averagebottom 22% · #226
Attendance
Below averagebottom 29% · #236

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 Taunton

High schools · ranked among 335
Elementary schools · ranked among 895

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 3–1028%in 2026 · state 41%
12 points below the state
0%50%100%This district28%State41%2019202120232026
Math, grades 3–1023%in 2026 · state 41%
18 points below the state
0%50%100%This district23%State41%2019202120232026
By grade, 2026 · the black tick marks the state
GradeELAMath
Grade 3
31%−12 vs state
28%−14 vs state
Grade 4
28%−9 vs state
31%−12 vs state
Grade 5
28%−10 vs state
21%−18 vs state
Grade 6
29%−11 vs state
27%−16 vs state
Grade 7
32%−8 vs state
21%−16 vs state
Grade 8
24%−18 vs state
11%−31 vs state
Grade 10
26%−19 vs state
22%−22 vs state
Science, 2026
Grade 5 science
28%−15 vs state
Grade 8 science
15%−24 vs state
High school biology
18%−20 vs state

High school results

Average SATWorse than average
This district
1065
MA avg
1113
AP exams scored 3+Worse than average
This district
60%
MA avg
69.1%
Four-year graduation rateWorse than average
This district
88.7%
MA avg
92.4%

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

Students & classrooms

Classrooms
Students in classes8,496
Average class size18.7MA avg 17.3
Who attends
White
50.5%
Black/African American
28.8%
Hispanic/Latino
13.3%
Multi-Race
5.7%
Asian
1.1%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.3%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.3%

49.5% female · 50.5% male

Student needs
English learnersHigher than average
This district
12.3%
MA avg
8.5%
Students with disabilitiesAbout average
This district
20.8%
MA avg
20.2%

Spending & teachers

Spending per student$19.6Kin FY2024 · MA median $21.8K
$2,175 below the MA median
$0K$13K$25KThis district$19.6KMA median$21.8K20162018202020222024
Teacher salary$97.0Kin 2023-24 · MA median $91.4K
$5,641 above the MA median
$0K$50K$100KThis district$97.0KMA median$91.4K20162018202020222024
Teachers who stayedfrom last yearBetter than average
This district
88.4%
MA avg
84.7%
Principals who stayedfrom last yearAbout average
This district
84.6%
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 557 full-time-equivalent teachers.

Attendance

Attendance rateWorse than average
This district
92.3%
MA avg
93.7%
Chronically absentmissed 10%+ of daysWorse than average
This district
23.8%
MA avg
16.9%

13.2 days absent per student (MA avg 11) · 7.3% missed 20% or more of school days

About Taunton

Bristol County · South Coast & Cape Cod
Avg single-family home value$497KMA median $588K
Avg property tax bill$5,540MA median $6,814
Tax rate$11.10 per $1,000MA median $12.40
Income per person$31,224MA median $47,872
Local kids in public school97.5%
Town bond ratingAA+
Free cash reserves8.4% of budget
Where school-age children in Taunton go to school · 2024-2025
Local public schools
78.1%
Vocational schools
10.6%
Other public schools
5.6%
Charter schools
3.2%
Home school
1.3%
Private schools
1.1%

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 Taunton with nearby districts

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