Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Massachusetts public school rankings, test scores, and district data.
How are Massachusetts public high schools ranked?
Our high school rankings use a composite score built from four weighted categories: SAT scores (30%), MCAS proficiency in ELA and Math (25%), AP exam pass rates (20%), and college plans (25%), the share of graduates who report plans to attend a two- or four-year college. We rank all 335 public high schools in Massachusetts that report SAT results, using data from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Each school receives a letter grade from A+ to C- based on its percentile rank — the top 3% earn A+, the next 5% earn A, and so on. Only schools with valid SAT data are included in the composite ranking.
How can I find my school's ranking?
Search for any town, district, or school from the box at the top of our homepage, or use the High School Rankings page to search by school or district name. You can narrow any ranking to one region of the state and sort by specific measures like SAT scores, MCAS results, AP results, or graduates' college plans. Each school has a profile page that compares it with the state or Massachusetts average on every measure: SAT and MCAS results with charts going back several years, AP results, graduation rates and graduates' plans, students, teachers, and attendance. It also shows where the school stands statewide in each category, plain-English notes on its strengths and trends, housing and tax data for its town, and similar schools. For elementary schools, visit our Elementary Rankings page. For district-level rankings, see our District Rankings homepage.
What are the best public high schools in Massachusetts?
Based on our 2026 composite ranking, the top 10 Massachusetts public high schools are: (1) Ma Academy for Math and Science School, (2) Lexington High, (3) Dover-Sherborn Regional High, (4) Needham High, (5) Belmont High, (6) Acton-Boxborough Regional High, (7) Hopkinton High, (8) Wayland High School, (9) Wellesley Sr High, and (10) Winchester High School. These schools score in the top tier across SAT, MCAS, AP, and college plans. For the full list of all 335 ranked schools, visit our High School Rankings page.
What are the best school districts in Massachusetts?
Our district rankings evaluate all 328 public school districts using their individual schools' rankings. The top-ranked districts are Weston, Hopkinton, Belmont, Wellesley, and Lexington. A district's score is the average statewide percentile of all of its ranked high schools and elementary schools, so it has to perform well across its schools, not just at one. Single-school districts receive a 10% scoring discount. Each district profile compares the district with the state on MCAS results grade by grade, shows where it stands in each category and how its schools rank, and charts per-pupil spending and teacher salaries over time, alongside class sizes, attendance, and home values and taxes in its towns.
How are Massachusetts elementary schools ranked?
Elementary school rankings combine grade 3 MCAS proficiency in ELA (25%) and Math (25%), averaged over 2024–2026, attendance (20%), teacher quality (20%, the average of licensed, experienced, and in-field teacher rates), and low suspension rates (10%). We rank 895 elementary schools using the same letter grade system (A+ through C-) as our high school rankings. Visit our Elementary Rankings page to search and sort all ranked elementary schools.
What are average SAT scores in Massachusetts?
The average SAT score across the 335 Massachusetts public high schools we rank is 1091 (combined reading/writing and math, 2024-25), counting each school's average equally. Scores vary dramatically by school, from 1459 at Mass Academy for Math and Science School and 1349 at Lexington High to below 900 at 34 schools. Our rankings show the average SAT score for every public high school, and you can sort the full table by SAT to compare schools directly. Each school's profile charts its SAT average against the Massachusetts average back to the 2016-17 school year.
Where can I find MCAS scores by town or school?
Every school profile on our site includes MCAS proficiency rates broken down by subject (ELA, Math, and Science for high schools). You can compare MCAS scores across schools using the sortable tables on our High School Rankings and Elementary Rankings pages. For district-level MCAS data, each district page shows results for every tested grade compared with the state, plus all grades combined over time. All MCAS data comes directly from the Massachusetts DESE.
What towns feed into regional high schools like Wachusett, King Philip, or Nashoba?
Many Massachusetts high schools are regional districts that serve multiple towns. For example, Wachusett Regional serves Holden, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, and Sterling. King Philip Regional serves Wrentham, Norfolk, and Plainville. Nashoba Regional serves Bolton, Lancaster, and Stow. You can find the complete list of towns for any regional district on its district profile page — just search for the district name on our homepage. Each district page shows all member towns along with town-specific data like home values and tax rates.
Which Massachusetts towns have good schools and affordable homes?
We published a detailed analysis of the best high schools in affordable towns, comparing schools with assessed home values, property taxes, and income data. In the current rankings, examples include Shrewsbury (#36 high school, average home value $761K), Chelmsford (#58 high school, average home value $695K), and Longmeadow (#47 high school, average home value $565K), all delivering strong academics at a fraction of Greater Boston prices. In Western Massachusetts, Mount Greylock produces a 1233 SAT average on homes averaging $459K. Every school page also shows its town's home values and tax bills. Read the full analysis in our blog post.
Does this site rank private schools like Milton Academy or Phillips Andover?
No — Mass School Rankings focuses exclusively on public schools (including charter schools and vocational-technical schools). Private and independent schools like Milton Academy, Phillips Academy Andover, Noble and Greenough, and others are not included because they don't report to the Massachusetts DESE and aren't part of the standardized testing and reporting framework. Our goal is to help families evaluate publicly funded school options using consistent, comparable data.
Are charter schools and vocational-technical schools included in the rankings?
Yes. Charter schools (like Sturgis Charter, Advanced Math and Science Academy, and KIPP Academy Lynn) and vocational-technical schools (like Assabet Valley, Essex North Shore, and Bristol-Plymouth) are ranked alongside traditional district schools, as are exam schools like Boston Latin. They're ranked using the same measures: SAT scores, MCAS proficiency, AP pass rates, and graduates' college plans. As with every high school, only schools that report SAT results are included in the high school rankings. Charter elementary schools are included in the elementary rankings.
What are the best schools in Western Massachusetts?
Western Massachusetts offers some of the state's best education-to-cost ratios. Top districts include Longmeadow (#41, A-, 1222 SAT average), Mount Greylock (#58, B+, 1233 SAT average), Hampshire (#94, B, 1181 SAT average), and Amherst-Pelham (#99, B, 1269 SAT average). The region's college towns — influenced by Williams, UMass, Smith, and Mount Holyoke — push academic performance well above what home values alone would predict. For a complete regional breakdown, see our blog post on the best districts by region.
What are the highest-paying school districts in Massachusetts for teachers?
Teacher salaries vary significantly across Massachusetts districts. 88 districts pay an average teacher salary above $100,000, including affluent suburbs like Weston, Lexington, Wellesley, and Brookline. You can compare teacher salary data on every district profile page, which shows average salaries alongside per-pupil expenditure, class sizes, and staffing retention rates. Use the District Rankings to sort and compare spending metrics across all 328 districts.
What data sources do you use?
All school performance data comes from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), including SAT scores, MCAS proficiency rates, AP exam results, graduation rates, graduates' plans after high school, enrollment, demographics, attendance, per-pupil expenditure, teacher salaries, and class sizes. Town-level financial data — including assessed home values, property tax rates, and tax bills — comes from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR). MCAS results are from spring 2026; other school data covers the 2024-25 school year, with historical trends going back to 2015 for many metrics.
How often are the rankings updated?
Rankings are updated annually when DESE releases new school year data, typically in the fall. The current rankings use spring 2026 MCAS results and 2024-25 data for SAT, AP, attendance, and staffing. SAT scores, MCAS results, graduation rates, and other metrics are refreshed each cycle. Historical data is preserved so you can track trends over time on individual school and district profile pages.
How can I contact Mass School Rankings?
Have a question, suggestion, or correction? Reach us at info@massschoolrankings.com. We welcome feedback on our rankings methodology, data accuracy, and feature requests.