Photo: Apw250 · CC BY 4.0Dalton’s public schools score below 53% of Massachusetts districts on tests and graduation
The grade covers the public school district serving Dalton, 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.
Dalton’s schools, in brief
Better than its incomes would predict
Among the 173 Massachusetts towns with household incomes within a quarter of Dalton’s, its schools beat 71%, higher than their 47% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Above the state in reading, below in math
Reading proficiency is 47% and math 39% in spring 2022, against 44% and 41% statewide; 90–94% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 89%. Test scores ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $21,946 per student, against $26,530 across Massachusetts (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
One elementary school, then one middle and one high school
From grade 6 the district’s path is Nessacus Regional Middle School, then Wahconah Regional High. See the path ↓
Choice beyond the district
St. Agnes Academy (private) is in town. Every school ↓
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 Dalton’s grade
B−: better than 47% of Massachusetts school districts, #164 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Test scores and graduation are both above the Massachusetts average; test scores are the stronger of the two.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Dalton, with each school’s own grade.
Pre-K in Dalton · depends on your address
Kittredge
Grades PK–5 · 185 students · 14:1 students per teacher · in Hinsdale
Becket Washington School
Grades PK–5 · 91 students · 10:1 students per teacher · in Becket
Kindergarten in Dalton
Craneville
Grades K–5 · 458 students · 14:1 students per teacher
1st grade in Dalton
Craneville
Grades K–5 · 458 students · 14:1 students per teacher
2nd grade in Dalton
Craneville
Grades K–5 · 458 students · 14:1 students per teacher
3rd grade in Dalton
Craneville
Grades K–5 · 458 students · 14:1 students per teacher
4th grade in Dalton
Craneville
Grades K–5 · 458 students · 14:1 students per teacher
5th grade in Dalton
Craneville
Grades K–5 · 458 students · 14:1 students per teacher
6th grade in Dalton
Nessacus Regional Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 353 students · 12:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Dalton
Nessacus Regional Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 353 students · 12:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Dalton
Nessacus Regional Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 353 students · 12:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Dalton
Wahconah Regional High
Grades 9–12 · 450 students · 11:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Dalton
Wahconah Regional High
Grades 9–12 · 450 students · 11:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Dalton
Wahconah Regional High
Grades 9–12 · 450 students · 11:1 students per teacher
Dalton’s public schools are run by Central Berkshire School District, which also serves Becket, Cummington, Hinsdale and Peru and others. 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
Dalton vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Massachusetts towns that share Dalton’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Dalton | B− | Central Berkshire |
| Pittsfield | C− | Pittsfield |
| Hinsdale | B− | Central Berkshire |
| Washington | — | Central Berkshire |
| Windsor | — | Central Berkshire |
| Cheshire | C− | Hoosac Valley |
3 of the 5 neighbors share Central Berkshire with Dalton, so their letters differ mainly through other districts.
Every school in Dalton
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 Dalton’s schools
Are Dalton’s schools good?
On Massachusetts’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Dalton children attend score below 53% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B− Schools grade, #164 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 71%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Dalton in?
Central Berkshire School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 1,537 students in 5 schools (2024–25).
Where do Dalton kids go to high school?
Wahconah Regional High, with 450 students; its own test results earn a B+.
What is Dalton’s graduation rate?
90–94% of the class of 2023 in Central Berkshire School District graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts.
How much does Dalton spend per student?
$21,946 in Central Berkshire School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Dalton?
Yes: St. Agnes Academy (Catholic, grades PK–8, 127 students).
Parents talk
What Dalton families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Dalton → 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.