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D

Ralph C. Mahar School District

Public school districtGrades 7–12Regional · 4 towns

Serves Orange, Petersham, New Salem and Wendell.

Orange’s School Grade D better than 7% of Massachusetts school districts

Students
509
Schools
1
Spent per student
$30,875
MA $26,530
Students per teacher
9:1
Debt
$0.4M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Ralph C. Mahar School District

  • Its letter, D: results better than 13% of Massachusetts districts
  • Math proficiency 12 pts below the state
  • Reading proficiency 17 pts below the state
  • Graduation rate 12 pts below the state
  • Spends 16% more per student than the MA average
  • 9 students per teacher
  • Enrollment down 17.8% since 2020–21
  • Debt of $0.4M, about $688 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

D: better than 13% of the 394 Massachusetts school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well below the state, 2021–22
C−
GraduationFour-year graduation well below the state, class of 2023
D
The towns it serves, and their School Grades
DOrange 7,569DPetersham 1,242C−New Salem 1,028Wendell 911

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Orange. Grade by grade →

PK–6Fisher Hill SchoolOrange School District
7–12Ralph C Mahar RegionalThis district

Test scores vs. MA

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency29%
State average 40.7% · 286 students tested
Reading / language arts27%
State average 43.7% · 288 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)75–79%
State average 89.2% · 94 in the class

97% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$30,875 per student · 16% above MA
Spending
Classroom instruction 54%Support & administration 46%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 45%State 50%Federal 5%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
619’20
557’21
523’22
504’23
509’24

Down 17.8% since 2020–21.

Students
White 81%Hispanic 11%Two or more races 4%Black 3%Asian <1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%

Schools in the district

1 public school. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Massachusetts’s other public schools.

Ralph C Mahar Regional
High · Grades 7–12 · Orange
C
509 students9:1

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

Athol-Royalston School DistrictAthol, Royalston
$21,049per student
Amherst-Pelham School DistrictPelham, Shutesbury
$31,061per student
Erving School DistrictErving
$38,813per student
Gill-Montague School District in ErvingErving

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within Massachusetts.