Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Worcester’s public schools score below 82% of Massachusetts districts on tests and graduation
On the state math tests, 23% of Worcester’s students scored proficient, below the Massachusetts average (41%). The grade covers the public school district serving Worcester, 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.
Worcester’s schools, in brief
Better than its incomes would predict
Among the 122 Massachusetts towns with household incomes within a quarter of Worcester’s, its schools beat 33%, higher than their 18% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Results trail the state
In spring 2022, 29% of tested students were proficient in reading and 23% in math, against 44% and 41% statewide; 100% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓
Graduation
85% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts. Districts ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $24,492 per student, against $26,530 across Massachusetts (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
33 elementary schools, then six middle and six high schools
Which school depends on the address at every step. See the path ↓
Choice beyond the district
Learning First Charter Public School, Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School, Worcester Cultural Academy Charter Public School, Worcester Academy (private), Bancroft School (private), St. Paul Diocesan Jr./Sr. High School (private), St. Peter Central Catholic Elementary School (private), Notre Dame Academy (private), Venerini Academy (private), Our Lady of the Angels Memorial Elementary School (private), Alhuda Academy (private), Center for Applied Behavioral Instruction School (private), Nativity School of Worcester (private), Worcester Seventh-Day Adventist School (private) and Summit Academy School for Alternative Learners (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.
What’s behind Worcester’s grade
C−: better than 18% of Massachusetts school districts, #250 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 Worcester, with each school’s own grade.
Worcester’s public schools are run by Worcester 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.
Well below the state in reading
Worcester vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Massachusetts towns that share Worcester’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Worcester | C− | Worcester |
| Auburn | B | Auburn |
| Shrewsbury | A | Shrewsbury |
| Grafton | B+ | Grafton |
| West Boylston | B+ | West Boylston |
| Millbury | C+ | Millbury |
Every school in Worcester
63 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 Worcester’s schools
Are Worcester’s schools good?
On Massachusetts’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Worcester children attend score below 82% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C− Schools grade, #250 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 33%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Worcester in?
Worcester School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 24,778 students in 47 schools (2024–25).
Where do Worcester kids go to high school?
One of 6 high schools, depending on your address: South High Community, Doherty Memorial High, North High, Burncoat Senior High, Claremont Academy and University Pk Campus School.
What is Worcester’s graduation rate?
85% of the class of 2023 in Worcester School District graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts.
How much does Worcester spend per student?
$24,492 in Worcester School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Worcester?
Yes: Worcester Academy (nonsectarian, grades 6–12, 532 students), Bancroft School (nonsectarian, grades PK–12, 429 students), St. Paul Diocesan Jr./Sr. High School (Catholic, grades 7–12, 406 students), St. Peter Central Catholic Elementary School (Catholic, grades PK–8, 358 students), Notre Dame Academy (catholic · all-girls, grades 7–12, 258 students), Venerini Academy (Catholic, grades PK–8, 235 students), Our Lady of the Angels Memorial Elementary School (Catholic, grades PK–8, 168 students), Alhuda Academy (religious, grades PK–8, 137 students), Center for Applied Behavioral Instruction School (special education, grades 1–12, 101 students), Nativity School of Worcester (catholic · all-boys, grades 5–8, 59 students), Worcester Seventh-Day Adventist School (religious, grades K–8, 25 students) and Summit Academy School for Alternative Learners (special education, grades K–12, 25 students). Worcester also has 3 charter schools, free and open by application.
Parents talk
What Worcester families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Worcester → 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.