Affordable Massachusetts Towns With Good Schools
Start with the finding, because it decides the whole question: none of our 23 Tier 1 school districts has a median 4BR house under $950k. Not one. "Affordable with good schools" in Massachusetts means a Tier 2 district — strong schools, just not the state's very top rung — and it usually means trading commute for price.
Tier 2 schools under $900k
School Tier 1 or 2, median 4BR at $900k or below, cheapest first. This is the whole list — the shortness of it is the point.
| # | Town | Schools | 4BR house | Commute | Rail | Tax rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilbraham | strong schoolsT2 | $550kT1 | 110 minT4 | None | $17.45T4 |
| 2 | Longmeadow | strong schools · Niche 30thT2 | $600kT2 | 118 minT4 | None | $19.32T4 |
| 3 | Chelmsford | strong schools · Niche 59thT2 | $775kT2 | 57 minT3 | None | $13.27T3 |
| 4 | Dunstable | strong schools · Niche 40thT2 | $800kT2 | 70 minT4 | None | $13.39T3 |
| 5 | Shrewsbury | strong schools · Niche 16thT2 | $850kT2 | 72 minT4 | None | $11.50T2 |
| 6 | Franklin | strong schools · Niche 33rdT2 | $850kT2 | 62 minT4 | Rail · 62 min | $11.42T2 |
| 7 | Medway | strong schools · Niche 34thT2 | $850kT2 | 58 minT3 | None | $14.00T3 |
| 8 | North Andover | strong schools · Niche 56thT2 | $875kT2 | 55 minT3 | None | $11.24T2 |
| 9 | Northborough | strong schoolsT2 | $900kT3 | 68 minT4 | None | $14.82T3 |
| 10 | Holliston | strong schools · Niche 46thT2 | $900kT3 | 57 minT3 | None | $14.29T3 |
| 11 | Wrentham | strong schools · Niche 75thT2 | $900kT3 | 62 minT4 | None | $11.67T2 |
| 12 | Littleton | strong schools · Niche 36thT2 | $900kT3 | 60 minT3 | Rail · 64 min | $14.02T3 |
| 13 | Essex | strong schools · Niche 51stT2 | $900kT3 | 58 minT3 | None | $13.04T3 |
If you can stretch to $1.1M
The same school filter, with the price ceiling raised to $1.1M. Raising it by $200k roughly triples the list and brings the commute down.
| # | Town | Schools | 4BR house | Commute | Rail | Tax rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westborough | top schools · Niche 13thT1 | $950kT3 | 66 minT4 | Rail · 76 min | $15.93T4 |
| 2 | Sharon | strong schools · Niche 7thT2 | $950kT3 | 47 minT3 | Rail · 35 min | $17.15T4 |
| 3 | Norfolk | strong schools · Niche 75thT2 | $950kT3 | 55 minT3 | Rail · 55 min | $14.87T3 |
| 4 | North Reading | strong schools · Niche 27thT2 | $950kT3 | 44 minT2 | None | $13.02T3 |
| 5 | Hanover | strong schools · Niche 81stT2 | $950kT3 | 50 minT3 | None | $12.47T2 |
| 6 | Groton | strong schools · Niche 40thT2 | $950kT3 | 69 minT4 | None | $14.78T3 |
| 7 | Stow | strong schools · Niche 49thT2 | $950kT3 | 58 minT3 | None | $17.87T4 |
| 8 | Boxborough | top schools · Niche 17thT1 | $950kT3 | 60 minT3 | None | $15.39T4 |
| 9 | Bolton | strong schools · Niche 49thT2 | $950kT3 | 66 minT4 | None | $18.07T4 |
| 10 | Wenham | strong schools · Niche 62ndT2 | $950kT3 | 50 minT3 | None | $15.99T4 |
| 11 | Hamilton | strong schools · Niche 62ndT2 | $950kT3 | 54 minT3 | Rail · 52 min | $15.04T4 |
| 12 | Reading | strong schools · Niche 53rdT2 | $975kT3 | 41 minT2 | Rail · 32 min | $10.96T2 |
| 13 | Natick | strong schools · Niche 22ndT2 | $1MT3 | 46 minT3 | Rail · 49 min | $12.17T2 |
| 14 | Andover | strong schools · Niche 24thT2 | $1MT3 | 54 minT3 | Rail · 46 min | $12.31T2 |
| 15 | Topsfield | strong schools · Niche 43rdT2 | $1MT3 | 54 minT3 | None | $15.66T4 |
| 16 | Swampscott | strong schools · Niche 77thT2 | $1.05MT3 | 43 minT2 | Rail · 31 min | $12.00T2 |
| 17 | Westford | top schools · Niche 11thT1 | $1.1MT3 | 60 minT3 | None | $13.11T3 |
| 18 | Acton | top schools · Niche 17thT1 | $1.1MT3 | 54 minT3 | Rail · 58 min | $16.23T4 |
| 19 | Scituate | strong schools · Niche 45thT2 | $1.1MT3 | 56 minT3 | Rail · 54 min | $9.83T1 |
| 20 | Newburyport | strong schools · Niche 67thT2 | $1.1MT3 | 71 minT4 | Rail · 71 min | $9.26T1 |
| 21 | Harvard | top schools · Niche 21stT1 | $1.1MT3 | 66 minT4 | None | $15.87T4 |
| 22 | Boxford | strong schools · Niche 43rdT2 | $1.1MT3 | 57 minT3 | None | $13.54T3 |
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Prices are estimates calibrated to the Zillow Home Value Index and Redfin market pages; tax rates are FY2026 residential rates; commute times take the rail leg from the MBTA timetable and still model the drive. Tax bills apply each town’s rate to its median 4BR estimate, so they are an approximation, not an assessment. School tiers are editorial and shown alongside the state’s own figures on every town page. Data last reviewed — full detail in the methodology. These lists never use demographics as an input.
