Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY 4.0Orange’s public schools score below 93% of Massachusetts districts on tests and graduation
21% of students in Orange’s public schools are proficient in reading, below the Massachusetts average (44%). The grade covers the two public school districts serving Orange, 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 97% 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.
Orange’s schools, in brief
Better than its incomes would predict
Among the 44 Massachusetts towns with household incomes within a quarter of Orange’s, its schools beat 16%, higher than their 7% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Orange runs its own schools through grade 6, then shares
Fisher Hill School (PK–6) is Orange’s own. From grade 7, students attend the Ralph C. Mahar School District with New Salem, Petersham and Wendell: Ralph C Mahar Regional. See the path ↓
Results trail the state
In spring 2022, 21% of tested students were proficient in reading and 22% in math, against 44% and 41% statewide; 97% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓
Graduation
75–79% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts (the state reports Orange’s rate as a range). Districts ↓
Spending and class size
Orange spends $23,509 per student and Ralph C. Mahar $30,875, against $26,530 across Massachusetts (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓
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 Orange’s grade
D: better than 7% of Massachusetts school districts, #275 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Both inputs trail the Massachusetts average; graduation is the closer of the two to typical.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Orange, with each school’s own grade.
Kindergarten in Orange
Fisher Hill School
Grades PK–6 · 494 students · 13:1 students per teacher
1st grade in Orange
Fisher Hill School
Grades PK–6 · 494 students · 13:1 students per teacher
2nd grade in Orange
Fisher Hill School
Grades PK–6 · 494 students · 13:1 students per teacher
3rd grade in Orange
Fisher Hill School
Grades PK–6 · 494 students · 13:1 students per teacher
4th grade in Orange
Fisher Hill School
Grades PK–6 · 494 students · 13:1 students per teacher
5th grade in Orange
Fisher Hill School
Grades PK–6 · 494 students · 13:1 students per teacher
6th grade in Orange
Fisher Hill School
Grades PK–6 · 494 students · 13:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Orange
Ralph C Mahar Regional
Grades 7–12 · 509 students · 9:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Orange
Ralph C Mahar Regional
Grades 7–12 · 509 students · 9:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Orange
Ralph C Mahar Regional
Grades 7–12 · 509 students · 9:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Orange
Ralph C Mahar Regional
Grades 7–12 · 509 students · 9:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Orange
Ralph C Mahar Regional
Grades 7–12 · 509 students · 9:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Orange
Ralph C Mahar Regional
Grades 7–12 · 509 students · 9:1 students per teacher
Orange runs its own schools through grade 6 (Orange School District). From grade 7, students attend the Ralph C. Mahar School District, shared with New Salem, Petersham and Wendell. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
Two districts serve Orange
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well below the state in reading
Orange vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Massachusetts towns that share Orange’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Orange | D | Orange PK–6 · Ralph C. Mahar 7–12 |
| Athol | C− | Athol-Royalston |
| Wendell | — | New Salem-Wendell PK–6 · Ralph C. Mahar 7–12 |
| Warwick | — | Warwick PK–6 · Pioneer Valley School District in Warwick |
| Royalston | C− | Athol-Royalston |
| New Salem | C− | New Salem-Wendell PK–6 · Ralph C. Mahar 7–12 |
| Erving | D | Erving PK–6 · Gill-Montague School District in Erving |
2 of the 6 neighbors share Ralph C. Mahar with Orange for grades 7–12, so their letters differ mainly through the lower grades.
Every school in Orange
2 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 Orange’s schools
Are Orange’s schools good?
On Massachusetts’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Orange children attend score below 93% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, a D Schools grade, #275 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 Orange in?
Two districts: Orange School District runs grades PK–6, and Ralph C. Mahar School District runs grades 7–12, shared with New Salem, Petersham and Wendell.
What is Orange’s graduation rate?
75–79% of the class of 2023 in Ralph C. Mahar School District graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts.
How much does Orange spend per student?
$23,509 in Orange School District and $30,875 in Ralph C. Mahar School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Parents talk
What Orange families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Orange → 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.