Massachusetts' most expensive school districts spend 31.5% more per student while delivering statistically identical outcomes to moderate-income suburbs.
Dover homes cost $2.4M. Hopkinton homes cost $925K. College matriculation rates: 83.6% vs 84.9% (Hopkinton wins). AP pass rates: 95.8% vs 94.0% (1.8 point difference). You're paying $1.5 million extra for a 1.8 percentage point AP improvement while getting worse college outcomes. The data proves the prestige premium is irrational.
If "prestige" districts had superior teaching, low-income students in those districts should dramatically outperform state low-income averages. They don't.
These achievement gaps prove that high district scores derive from educating already-advantaged students, not from teaching excellence. MIT-reviewed analysis found that 84% of MCAS score variation is explained by demographics, not instruction. Prestige districts don't teach better—they select better.
To conduct a valid comparison of school districts, it is essential to isolate the variable of instructional quality from the confounding variable of socio-economic status.
"There appears to be little correlation between low income status and growth."
— Massachusetts Student Growth Percentile Interpretive Guide
This official statement confirms that a school's ability to teach and grow a student, year-over-year, is independent of that student's family income. This allows for a true "apples-to-apples" comparison of instructional effectiveness. It validates the premise that the school system in Hopkinton ($130K median income) can be directly and fairly compared to the system in Dover-Sherborn ($250K median income).
Want the complete story? Read our comprehensive 4-part blog series with detailed analysis, methodology, and district-by-district breakdowns.
Why expensive school districts don't deliver better outcomes
The methodology that proves demographics ≠ teaching quality
How low-income students expose the "selection effect"
District-by-district analysis with data and recommendations
The prestige premium in Greater Boston real estate is a sociological phenomenon, not an educational one. The data proves, conclusively, that equivalent or superior educational outcomes for the general student are available at a 40-60% discount in "value" districts.
Want to see how specific prestige towns stack up? Check our Boston Prestige Index analyzing 15 elite suburbs. Or explore our cost-efficiency rankings to find the best value neighborhoods for your priorities.
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