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Nantucket-08-2004Photo: The original uploader was Bobak at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.5
C+
Schools in Nantucket · Nantucket School District

Nantucket’s public schools score below 64% of Massachusetts districts on tests and graduation

In Nantucket, 26% of tested students are proficient in math, below the Massachusetts average (41%). The grade covers the public school district serving Nantucket, 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.

#198of 283 Massachusetts townsK–12Where will my kid go?

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.

Reading proficiency
37%
▼ 7 pts vs MA 44%
2021–22
Math proficiency
26%
▼ 15 pts vs MA 41%
2021–22
Graduate on time
95–100%
▲ 6–11 pts vs MA 89%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$31.1K
▲ 17% vs MA $26.5K
FY2024
Students per teacher
10.0
MA 11.9 · smaller classes
Schools in town
6
1,719 students on the public path
In brief

Nantucket’s schools, in brief

Against towns with similar incomes

Among the 240 Massachusetts towns with household incomes within a quarter of Nantucket’s, its schools beat 16%, lower than their 36% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Results trail the state

In spring 2022, 37% of tested students were proficient in reading and 26% in math, against 44% and 41% statewide; 100% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓

Graduation

95–100% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts (the state reports Nantucket’s rate as a range). Districts ↓

Spending and class size

The district spends $31,075 per student, against $26,530 across Massachusetts (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓

One elementary school, then one elementary, one middle and one high school

From grade 3 the district’s path is Nantucket Intermediate School, then Cyrus Peirce, then Nantucket High. See the path ↓

Choice beyond the district

Nantucket Lighthouse School (private) and Montessori Children's House of Nantucket (private) are 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.

The School Grade

What’s behind Nantucket’s grade

C− Test scoresB+ Graduation

C+: better than 36% of Massachusetts school districts, #198 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Graduation is above the Massachusetts average; test scores are below it.

Massachusetts school districts we grade (394)Better than 36%
Lower resultsHigher results
Massachusetts towns with similar household incomes (240)Better than 16%
CB−A fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 844 test results and a graduating class of 148 could put Nantucket anywhere from C to B−. The tests are from spring 2022, when 100% of Nantucket’s students in the tested grades sat them (847 in math, 840 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Nantucket, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
PK–2Nantucket ElementaryNantucket School DistrictNo scores
3–5Nantucket Intermediate SchoolNantucket School DistrictC
6–8Cyrus PeirceNantucket School DistrictC
9–12Nantucket HighNantucket School DistrictB

Nantucket’s public schools are run by Nantucket School District. 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.

Nantucket School DistrictGrades PK–12 · 4 schools · 1,719 students, up 3% since 2020–21 · 10.0 per teacher (MA 11.9)
$31,075MA $26,530 · FY2024
C+
Test scores · 2021–22

Well below the state in reading

Reading37%
State average 43.7% · 840 students tested
Math26%
State average 40.7% · 847 students tested

Nantucket vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the Massachusetts towns that share Nantucket’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
NantucketC+Nantucket

Every school in Nantucket

6 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).

District schools in Nantucketby address
Nantucket Elementary
Elementary · Grades PK–2
399 students9:1Rate it →
Nantucket Intermediate School
Elementary · Grades 3–5
C
366 students10:1Rate it →
Cyrus Peirce
Middle · Grades 6–8
C
358 students10:1Rate it →
Nantucket High
High · Grades 9–12
B
596 students11:1Rate it →
Private schoolstuition; no state tests, so no grade
Nantucket Lighthouse School
Elementary · Grades PK–5
Private · Nonsectarian
76 students7:1Rate it →
Montessori Children's House of Nantucket
Elementary · Grades PK–K
Private · Nonsectarian
37 students7:1Rate it →

Questions about Nantucket’s schools

Are Nantucket’s schools good?

On Massachusetts’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Nantucket children attend score below 64% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C+ Schools grade, #198 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 16%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Nantucket in?

Nantucket School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 1,719 students in 4 schools (2024–25).

Where do Nantucket kids go to high school?

Nantucket High, with 596 students; its own test results earn a B.

What is Nantucket’s graduation rate?

95–100% of the class of 2023 in Nantucket School District graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts.

How much does Nantucket spend per student?

$31,075 in Nantucket School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Are there private schools in Nantucket?

Yes: Nantucket Lighthouse School (nonsectarian, grades PK–5, 76 students) and Montessori Children's House of Nantucket (nonsectarian, grades PK–K, 37 students).

Parents talk

What Nantucket families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Nantucket → 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.