Is Norwell High a good school?

Yes! Norwell High is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 13 th of 348 Massachusetts high schools.

How many students attend Norwell High?

In the 2023-24 school year, 596 students attended Norwell High.

What is the racial makeup of Norwell High?

Students at Norwell High are 92% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% Hispanic.

What schools feed into Norwell High?

Norwell High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Grace Farrar Cole Elementary : William G Vinal Middle : Norwell Middle School

Norwell High

Summary:

Norwell High is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in Norwell, MA, with a student population of 602. The school is part of the Norwell School District, which is ranked 24th out of 351 districts in Massachusetts and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. Norwell High has consistently been ranked among the top high schools in the state, with a statewide ranking between 2 and 53 over the past decade, and has maintained a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of that time.

Norwell High students consistently outperform the state average on MCAS assessments across all subject areas, including English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, 83.82% of Norwell High 10th graders scored proficient or better on the MCAS ELA assessment, compared to the state average of 56.86%. The school also has an exceptionally high four-year graduation rate, consistently above 97% in recent years, significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, Norwell High's dropout rate is extremely low, at 0.0% in the 2022-2023 school year.

While Norwell High has a predominantly white student population, this is not necessarily unique among the nearby schools, such as Whitman Hanson Regional, Weymouth High School, and Marshfield High. Norwell High's performance on MCAS assessments is strong across various student subgroups, including female students, male students, white students, special education students, and low socioeconomic status students, with the school's rankings within these subgroups consistently among the top in the state. The school also spends approximately $16,777 per student, which is higher than the state average and some of the nearby schools.

Detail:

Public 9-12

18 South Street
Norwell, MA 02061

(781) 659-8810

District: Norwell

SchoolDigger Rank:
13^th of 348 Massachusetts High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,777

Feeder schools for Norwell High:

Elementary:	Grace Farrar Cole
	William G Vinal
Middle:	Norwell Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 11.7

Number of students: 596

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.6%

Two or more races:

3.5%

Asian:

2.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 5.2%

See top rated Massachusetts high schools

Compare Norwell High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Norwell High ranks better than 96.3% of high schools in Massachusetts. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 94.25. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Norwell High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (91.6%), two or more races (3.5%), Asian (2.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Norwell High is 11.7. (See more...)

Compare Norwell High employs 50.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Norwell High is $16,777.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Norwell High:

SchoolDigger ranks Norwell High 13^th of 348 Massachusetts public high schools. (See Norwell High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Norwell:

SchoolDigger ranks Norwell 24^th of 351 Massachusetts school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Norwell High?

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Rank History for Norwell High

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Rank History for all students at Norwell High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MA State Percentile
2003	91.90	15^th	304	95.1%
2004	92.17	8^th	307	97.4%
2005	91.61	7^th	311	97.7%
2006	88.01	18^th	314	94.3%
2007	71.81	82^nd	316	74.1%
2008	87.90	23^rd	319	92.8%
2009	85.42	28^th	322	91.3%
2010	82.03	48^th	335	85.7%
2011	81.79	42^nd	340	87.6%
2012	82.02	24^th	340	92.9%
2013	78.47	46^th	344	86.6%
2014	78.69	47^th	347	86.5%
2015	88.14	2^nd	354	99.4%
2016	82.61	19^th	351	94.6%
2017	83.10	17^th	348	95.1%
2018	79.42	47^th	345	86.4%
2019	88.81	13^th	351	96.3%
2021	90.18	14^th	285	95.1%
2022	94.96	7^th	342	98.0%
2023	86.43	53^rd	347	84.7%
2024	94.25	13^th	348	96.3%

See the entire list of Massachusetts High School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Norwell High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MA State Percentile
2018	66.13	105^th	344	69.5%
2019	77.37	60^th	348	82.8%
2021	91.61	14^th	268	94.8%
2022	93.40	17^th	339	95.0%
2023	85.94	38^th	301	87.4%
2024	91.13	26^th	289	91.0%

See the entire list of Best Massachusetts High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Norwell High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MA State Percentile
2018	69.67	98^th	330	70.3%
2022	97.29	6^th	332	98.2%
2024	94.03	20^th	338	94.1%

See the entire list of Best Massachusetts High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Norwell High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MA State Percentile
2018	78.94	52^nd	339	84.7%
2019	87.16	25^th	342	92.7%
2021	91.00	8^th	281	97.2%
2022	92.19	15^th	340	95.6%
2023	85.45	53^rd	339	84.4%
2024	95.78	4^th	342	98.8%

See the entire list of Best Massachusetts High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Norwell High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MA State Percentile
2018	78.15	61^st	299	79.6%
2019	89.79	26^th	299	91.3%
2021	96.66	5^th	202	97.5%
2022	96.93	10^th	295	96.6%

See the entire list of Best Massachusetts High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Norwell High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MA State Percentile
2018	79.27	56^th	343	83.7%
2019	90.33	16^th	346	95.4%
2021	88.27	24^th	281	91.5%
2022	96.36	5^th	339	98.5%
2023	86.12	54^th	343	84.3%
2024	91.74	26^th	342	92.4%

See the entire list of Best Massachusetts High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Norwell High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MA State Percentile
2018	76.99	58^th	303	80.9%
2019	88.94	15^th	302	95.0%
2021	87.97	20^th	249	92.0%
2022	93.15	16^th	300	94.7%
2023	79.77	60^th	301	80.1%
2024	93.11	15^th	302	95.0%

See the entire list of Best Massachusetts High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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Enrollment information for Norwell High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	636	1	9	0	0	n/a	n/a	646
1989	560	0	7	1	0	n/a	n/a	568
1990	510	1	6	1	0	n/a	n/a	518
1991	471	0	9	4	0	n/a	n/a	484
1992	445	0	10	4	0	n/a	n/a	459
1993	420	2	10	5	0	n/a	n/a	437
1994	403	0	6	6	0	n/a	n/a	415
1995	432	2	2	5	0	n/a	n/a	441
1996	432	2	2	5	0	n/a	n/a	441
1997	456	3	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	461
1998	474	4	3	3	0	n/a	n/a	484
1999	490	2	7	5	0	n/a	n/a	504
2000	513	1	8	5	0	n/a	n/a	527
2001	543	2	9	2	0	n/a	n/a	556
2002	510	1	12	6	0	n/a	n/a	529
2003	510	1	12	6	0	n/a	n/a	529
2004	543	2	13	5	0	n/a	n/a	563
2005	546	4	16	7	1	n/a	n/a	574
2006	569	7	18	6	1	n/a	n/a	601
2007	605	8	18	9	1	n/a	n/a	641
2008	611	8	14	10	0	n/a	n/a	643
2009	615	7	8	11	0	1	0	642
2010	627	9	8	6	0	3	1	654
2011	619	6	11	6	0	2	2	646
2012	632	6	12	7	0	2	8	667
2013	654	4	13	8	0	2	7	688
2014	650	1	14	8	0	0	4	677
2015	644	2	13	11	0	0	5	675
2016	651	1	13	15	0	0	6	686
2017	667	3	15	14	0	1	9	709
2018	651	3	12	15	0	2	12	695
2019	634	5	15	17	0	2	11	684
2020	626	5	16	14	0	2	11	674
2021	589	6	16	17	0	1	15	644
2022	582	2	20	13	0	0	14	631
2023	561	1	16	8	1	0	15	602
2024	546	1	17	10	1	0	21	596

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Norwell High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	646	n/a	n/a	n/a
1989	568	n/a	n/a	n/a
1990	518	n/a	n/a	n/a
1991	484	n/a	n/a	n/a
1992	459	n/a	n/a	n/a
1993	437	n/a	0.0	n/a
1994	415	n/a	n/a	n/a
1995	441	n/a	0.0	n/a
1996	441	n/a	0.0	n/a
1997	461	n/a	0.0	n/a
1998	484	n/a	0.0	n/a
1999	504	n/a	0.0	0.4
2000	527	n/a	0.0	0.2
2001	556	n/a	0.0	0.4
2002	529	n/a	n/a	0.2
2003	529	n/a	n/a	0.2
2004	563	41.3	13.6	1.6
2005	574	38.9	14.8	1.4
2006	601	41.6	14.4	2.3
2007	641	43.0	14.9	3.4
2008	643	42.2	15.2	1.9
2009	642	44.1	14.6	2.5
2010	654	45.5	14.3	3.5
2011	646	45.2	14.2	4.2
2012	667	45.6	14.6	3.3
2013	688	52.2	13.1	6
2014	677	52.8	12.8	5.2
2015	675	53.0	12.7	5.2
2016	686	52.0	13.1	n/a
2017	709	49.6	14.2	n/a
2018	695	51.8	13.4	n/a
2019	684	49.6	13.7	n/a
2020	674	51.3	13.1	n/a
2021	644	48.6	13.2	n/a
2022	631	50.3	12.5	n/a
2023	602	50.8	11.8	n/a
2024	596	50.7	11.7	n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Norwell High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	646	n/a	n/a	n/a
1989	568	n/a	n/a	n/a
1990	518	n/a	n/a	n/a
1991	484	n/a	n/a	n/a
1992	459	n/a	n/a	n/a
1993	437	n/a	0.0	n/a
1994	415	n/a	n/a	n/a
1995	441	n/a	0.0	n/a
1996	441	n/a	0.0	n/a
1997	461	n/a	0.0	n/a
1998	484	n/a	0.0	n/a
1999	504	n/a	0.0	0.4
2000	527	n/a	0.0	0.2
2001	556	n/a	0.0	0.4
2002	529	n/a	n/a	0.2
2003	529	n/a	n/a	0.2
2004	563	41.3	13.6	1.6
2005	574	38.9	14.8	1.4
2006	601	41.6	14.4	2.3
2007	641	43.0	14.9	3.4
2008	643	42.2	15.2	1.9
2009	642	44.1	14.6	2.5
2010	654	45.5	14.3	3.5
2011	646	45.2	14.2	4.2
2012	667	45.6	14.6	3.3
2013	688	52.2	13.1	6
2014	677	52.8	12.8	5.2
2015	675	53.0	12.7	5.2
2016	686	52.0	13.1	n/a
2017	709	49.6	14.2	n/a
2018	695	51.8	13.4	n/a
2019	684	49.6	13.7	n/a
2020	674	51.3	13.1	n/a
2021	644	48.6	13.2	n/a
2022	631	50.3	12.5	n/a
2023	602	50.8	11.8	n/a
2024	596	50.7	11.7	n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Norwell High

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$153 (1.0%)	$15,589 (99.0%)	$15,742
2020	$130 (0.8%)	$15,721 (99.2%)	$15,851
2021	$166 (1.0%)	$16,611 (99.0%)	$16,777

Data source: Massachusetts Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Norwell High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 13^th of 351 High schools	Ranks 53^rd of 347 High schools	11.6%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
10th Grade English Language Arts (Norwell High)	89	82.3	6.7%
10th Grade English Language Arts (Norwell)	87	82.4	4.6%
10th Grade English Language Arts (Massachusetts)	61	58.2	2.8%
10th Grade Mathematics (Norwell High)	88	83.1	4.9%
10th Grade Mathematics (Norwell)	88	82.6	5.4%
10th Grade Mathematics (Massachusetts)	58	49.7	8.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	684	602	12%
African American	5	1	80%
American Indian	0	1
Asian	15	16	6.7%
Hispanic	17	8	52.9%
Pacific Islander	2	0	100%
White	634	561	11.5%
Two or More Races	11	15	36.4%

Schools Near Norwell High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts (2024)	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics (2024)	MCAS Next Generation Science (2024)	MCAS Next Generation Biology (2024)	MCAS Next Generation Physics (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Biology All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Physics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Norwell High	Public	9-12	18 South Street	Norwell	02061	Plymouth County	Norwell	No	No	No	No	(781) 659-8810	596	51	11.7		546 (91.6%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.7%)	17 (2.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.5%)	94.3	13^th of 348 public high schools	96.3%		86.4	53^rd of 347 public high schools	84.7%	40	83.8	86.3	84.7	68.2		$16,777	$167	$16,611
South Shore Vocational Technical High	Public	9-12	476 Webster Street	Hanover	02339	Plymouth County	South Shore Regional Vocational Technical	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 878-8822	667	64	10.3		568 (85.2%)	22 (3.3%)	57 (8.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.8%)	62.5	144^th of 348 public high schools	58.6%		60.3	146^th of 347 public high schools	57.9%	2	64.5	56.6	48.7	43.1	58.5	$22,167	$678	$21,489
Hanover High	Public	9-12	287 Cedar Street	Hanover	02339	Plymouth County	Hanover	No	No	No	No	(781) 878-5450	684	59	11.6		631 (92.3%)	12 (1.8%)	17 (2.5%)	16 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.0%)	85.5	52^nd of 348 public high schools	85.1%		79.2	78^th of 347 public high schools	77.5%	26	81.1	68.2	69.7	59.8		$16,088	$231	$15,857
Rockland Senior High	Public	9-12	52 MacKinlay Way	Rockland	02370	Plymouth County	Rockland	No	No	No	No	(781) 871-0541	577	48	11.9		391 (67.8%)	37 (6.4%)	116 (20.1%)	11 (1.9%)	8 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.3%)	66.1	127^th of 348 public high schools	63.5%		57.8	154^th of 347 public high schools	55.6%	27	58.6	54.1	65.2	47.9		$18,080	$1,380	$16,700
Scituate High School	Public	9-12	606 C J Cushing Hwy	Scituate	02066	Plymouth County	Scituate	No	No	No	No	(781) 545-8750	749	60	12.4		666 (88.9%)	24 (3.2%)	23 (3.1%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.2%)	83.6	63^rd of 348 public high schools	81.9%		79.9	75^th of 347 public high schools	78.4%	12	79.1	64.6	70.3	71.5		$14,638	$51	$14,586
Hingham High	Public	9-12	17 Union Street	Hingham	02043	Plymouth County	Hingham	No	No	No	Yes	(781) 741-1560	1,100	91	12.1		950 (86.4%)	24 (2.2%)	49 (4.5%)	34 (3.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (3.2%)	90.4	32^nd of 348 public high schools	90.8%		93.6	20^th of 347 public high schools	94.2%	12	86.6	76.5	72.6	65.6		$14,488	$538	$13,951
Cohasset High School	Public	9-12	143 Pond Street	Cohasset	02025	Norfolk County	Cohasset	No	No	No	No	(781) 383-6100	406	39	10.2		369 (90.9%)	13 (3.2%)	5 (1.2%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.0%)	91.8	24^th of 348 public high schools	93.1%		93.9	19^th of 347 public high schools	94.5%	5	92.7	71.8	79.3		77.9	$20,326	$628	$19,698
Weymouth High School	Public	9-12	1 Wildcat Way	Weymouth	02190	Norfolk County	Weymouth	No	No	No	No	(781) 337-7500	1,751	140	12.5		1,155 (66.0%)	155 (8.9%)	256 (14.6%)	103 (5.9%)	5 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	70 (4.0%)	59.8	153^rd of 348 public high schools	56.0%		52.5	170^th of 347 public high schools	51.0%	17	65.9	43.4	55.9	51.0		$18,276	$298	$17,978
Marshfield High	Public	9-12	167 Forest Street	Marshfield	02050	Plymouth County	Marshfield	No	No	No	No	(781) 834-5050	1,149	105	10.9		1,045 (90.9%)	14 (1.2%)	52 (4.5%)	11 (1.0%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	23 (2.0%)	79.2	84^th of 348 public high schools	75.9%		82.3	63^rd of 347 public high schools	81.8%	21	78.1	64.8	60.6	40.5		$15,346	$416	$14,930
Abington High	Public	9-12	201 Gliniewicz Way	Abington	02351	Plymouth County	Abington	No	No	No	No	(781) 982-2160	561	48	11.6		404 (72.0%)	35 (6.2%)	98 (17.5%)	12 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.6%)	36.1	236^th of 348 public high schools	32.2%		41.7	211^th of 347 public high schools	39.2%	25	46.4	38.7	40.5	48.9		$14,887	$819	$14,068

Norwell High

Norwell High:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Norwell:

What do you think?

Rank History for Norwell High

Rank History for all students at Norwell High

Rank History for Special Education students at Norwell High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Norwell High

Rank History for Female students at Norwell High

Rank History for Disabled students at Norwell High

Rank History for Male students at Norwell High

Rank History for White students at Norwell High

Enrollment information for Norwell High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Norwell High

Student/Teacher Ratio Norwell High

Per Pupil Expenditures for Norwell High

Impact of COVID-19 on Norwell High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Norwell High

Frequently Asked Questions about Norwell High

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