Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Rochester

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Rochester MA Town Hall 1Photo: T.S. Custadio aka ToddC4176 at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
B
Schools in Rochester · Old Rochester School District, Rochester School District

Rochester’s public schools outscore 59% of Massachusetts districts

Math proficiency in Rochester’s districts is 47%, above the Massachusetts average (41%). The grade covers the two public school districts serving Rochester, 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.

#123of 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
49%
▲ 5 pts vs MA 44%
2021–22
Math proficiency
47%
▲ 6 pts vs MA 41%
2021–22
Graduate on time
95–100%
▲ 6–11 pts vs MA 89%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$23.4K
▼ 12% vs MA $26.5K
FY2024 · Old Rochester
Students per teacher
11.8
MA 11.9
Schools in town
2
1,523 students on the public path
In brief

Rochester’s schools, in brief

Better than its incomes would predict

Among the 292 Massachusetts towns with household incomes within a quarter of Rochester’s, its schools beat 64%, higher than their 59% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Rochester runs its own schools through grade 6, then shares

Rochester Memorial (PK–6) is Rochester’s own. From grade 7, students attend the Old Rochester School District with Marion and Mattapoisett: Old Rochester Regional Jr High in Mattapoisett, then Old Rochester Regional High in Mattapoisett. The high school’s own results earn an A, the highest on the path; the middle school earns a B−. See the path ↓

Above the state on both counts

Reading proficiency is 49% and math 47% across both districts 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

Old Rochester spends $23,351 per student and Rochester $19,008, 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.

The School Grade

What’s behind Rochester’s grade

B Test scoresB+ Graduation

B: better than 59% of Massachusetts school districts, #123 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Test scores and graduation are both above the Massachusetts average; graduation is the stronger of the two.

Massachusetts school districts we grade (394)Better than 59%
Lower resultsHigher results
Massachusetts towns with similar household incomes (292)Better than 64%
Towns in Plymouth County (25)Better than 48%
B−B+A fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 870 test results and a graduating class of 166 could put Rochester anywhere from B− to B+. The tests are from spring 2022, when 100% of Rochester’s students in the tested grades sat them (872 in math, 869 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

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

The path, start to finish
PK–6Rochester MemorialRochester School DistrictB
7–8Old Rochester Regional Jr Highin MattapoisettB−
9–12Old Rochester Regional Highin MattapoisettA

Rochester runs its own schools through grade 6 (Rochester School District). From grade 7, students attend the Old Rochester School District, shared with Marion and Mattapoisett. Its middle school is in Mattapoisett. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

Two districts serve Rochester

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Old Rochester School DistrictGrades 7–12 · 2 schools · 1,050 students, down 7% since 2020–21 · 11.9 per teacher (MA 11.9)
$23,351MA $26,530 · FY2024
B+
Rochester School DistrictGrades PK–6 · 1 schools · 473 students · 11.5 per teacher (MA 11.9)
$19,008MA $26,530 · FY2024
B−
Test scores · 2021–22

Well above the state in reading

Reading · 7–12, Old Rochester School District53%
State average 43.7% · 558 students tested
Math · 7–12, Old Rochester School District47%
State average 40.7% · 559 students tested
Reading · PK–6, Rochester School District41%
State average 43.7% · 311 students tested
Math · PK–6, Rochester School District47%
State average 40.7% · 313 students tested

Rochester vs. its neighbors

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

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
RochesterBRochester PK–6 · Old Rochester 7–12
WarehamDWareham
MattapoisettB+Mattapoisett PK–6 · Old Rochester 7–12
MarionB+Marion PK–6 · Old Rochester 7–12
MiddleboroughC+Middleborough
AcushnetBAcushnet PK–8 · Fairhaven/New Bedford School Districts in Acushnet

2 of the 5 neighbors share Old Rochester with Rochester for grades 7–12, so their letters differ mainly through the lower grades.

Every school in Rochester

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).

District schools in Rochesterby address
Rochester Memorial
Elementary · Grades PK–6
B
473 students11:1Rate it →
Also serving Rochesterin other towns
Old Rochester Regional Jr High
Middle · Grades 7–8 · Mattapoisett
B−
407 students11:1Rate it →
Old Rochester Regional High
High · Grades 9–12 · Mattapoisett
A
643 students13:1Rate it →
Other public schools in Rochesterrun by other districts or the state
Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical
High · Grades 9–12
A−
Career and Technical
554 students9:1Rate it →

Questions about Rochester’s schools

Are Rochester’s schools good?

They sit near the middle of Massachusetts: the public schools Rochester children attend outscore 59% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B Schools grade, #123 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 64%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Rochester in?

Two districts: Rochester School District runs grades PK–6, and Old Rochester School District runs grades 7–12, shared with Marion and Mattapoisett.

Where do Rochester kids go to high school?

Old Rochester Regional High in Mattapoisett, with 643 students; its own test results earn an A.

What is Rochester’s graduation rate?

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

How much does Rochester spend per student?

$23,351 in Old Rochester School District and $19,008 in Rochester School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Rochester families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Rochester → 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.