Photo: Ashby1495 · CC BY-SA 4.0Ashby’s public schools outscore 58% of Massachusetts districts
The grade covers the public school district serving Ashby, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Massachusetts, not nationally.
From Massachusetts state tests taken in spring 2022, when 100% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Ashby’s schools, in brief
Better than its incomes would predict
Among the 289 Massachusetts towns with household incomes within a quarter of Ashby’s, its schools beat 65%, higher than their 58% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Above the state in reading, below in math
Reading proficiency is 48% and math 40% in spring 2022, against 44% and 41% statewide; 95–100% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 89%. Test scores ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $21,001 per student, against $26,530 across Massachusetts (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
One elementary school, then two middle and one high school
Which school depends on the address at the later steps. See the path ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind Ashby’s grade
B: better than 58% of Massachusetts school districts, #128 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Test scores and graduation are both above the Massachusetts average; graduation is the stronger of the two.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Ashby, with each school’s own grade.
Pre-K in Ashby
Squannacook Early Childhood Center
Grades PK–4 · 89 students · 17:1 students per teacher · in Townsend
Kindergarten in Ashby
Ashby Elementary
Grades K–4 · 152 students · 12:1 students per teacher
1st grade in Ashby
Ashby Elementary
Grades K–4 · 152 students · 12:1 students per teacher
2nd grade in Ashby
Ashby Elementary
Grades K–4 · 152 students · 12:1 students per teacher
3rd grade in Ashby
Ashby Elementary
Grades K–4 · 152 students · 12:1 students per teacher
4th grade in Ashby
Ashby Elementary
Grades K–4 · 152 students · 12:1 students per teacher
5th grade in Ashby · depends on your address
Nissitissit Middle School
Grades 5–8 · 494 students · 11:1 students per teacher · in Pepperell
Hawthorne Brook
Grades 5–8 · 449 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Townsend
6th grade in Ashby · depends on your address
Nissitissit Middle School
Grades 5–8 · 494 students · 11:1 students per teacher · in Pepperell
Hawthorne Brook
Grades 5–8 · 449 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Townsend
7th grade in Ashby · depends on your address
Nissitissit Middle School
Grades 5–8 · 494 students · 11:1 students per teacher · in Pepperell
Hawthorne Brook
Grades 5–8 · 449 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Townsend
8th grade in Ashby · depends on your address
Nissitissit Middle School
Grades 5–8 · 494 students · 11:1 students per teacher · in Pepperell
Hawthorne Brook
Grades 5–8 · 449 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Townsend
9th grade in Ashby
North Middlesex Regional
Grades 9–12 · 711 students · 13:1 students per teacher · in Townsend
10th grade in Ashby
North Middlesex Regional
Grades 9–12 · 711 students · 13:1 students per teacher · in Townsend
Ashby’s public schools are run by North Middlesex School District, which also serves Pepperell and Townsend. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
The district
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Above the state in reading
Ashby vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Massachusetts towns that share Ashby’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Ashby | B | North Middlesex |
| Ashburnham | B | Ashburnham-Westminster |
| Fitchburg | C− | Fitchburg |
| Lunenburg | B | Lunenburg |
| Townsend | B | North Middlesex |
Every school in Ashby
4 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Massachusetts’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Questions about Ashby’s schools
Are Ashby’s schools good?
They sit near the middle of Massachusetts: the public schools Ashby children attend outscore 58% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B Schools grade, #128 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 65%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Ashby in?
North Middlesex School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 2,914 students in 7 schools (2024–25).
Where do Ashby kids go to high school?
North Middlesex Regional in Townsend, with 711 students; its own test results earn an A.
What is Ashby’s graduation rate?
95–100% of the class of 2023 in North Middlesex School District graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts.
How much does Ashby spend per student?
$21,001 in North Middlesex School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Parents talk
What Ashby families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Ashby → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Massachusetts. Stars are from neighbors.