Lite Waite: Why School Rankings Do Matter Today

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by Bob Waite

‘Tis the season of school rankings — a chance to see who’s up, who’s down, and who’s just spinning around.

In both U.S. News & World Report and Boston Magazine, Ipswich is down a peg or two. Or, in the case of U.S. News, down 36 pegs, hanging on to the #100 spot. In the just-released Boston Magazine rankings, which focus on schools in Eastern Massachusetts, Ipswich slipped from 25th to 26th.

As for Rowley, which is part of Triton Regional, their school system rocketed up 58 spots in the U.S. News rankings, landing at #165. If this trend continues, Triton could conceivably leapfrog Ipswich in 2026.

Or not.

Among school administrators and college counselors, these rankings are often scoffed at — especially if their school is not doing as well as they’d like.

But the truth is, people do look at these reports.

And I don’t just mean parents. Real estate agents watch them closely as well.

Why real estate agents? Because good school systems are closely correlated with higher home values. A 2016 study reported in the New York Times revealed that a 5% improvement in school test scores (a major factor in calculating rankings) can lead to a 2.5% increase in home values.

Nationally, houses in reputable school districts generally experience higher demand, quicker sales, and increased prices.

Is this true in Massachusetts? I went to several agents to get their take.

The first was Mary Crane. Mary is a legend, ranking in the top .5% of Berkshire Hathaway real estate agents nationwide and an International Real Estate Hall of Fame inductee.

She also lives in a town (Dover) whose high school (Dover-Sherborn) was ranked #1 by Boston Magazine.

Mary’s view? “Certainly, in eastern Massachusetts, the schools drive the real estate market, along with affordability and proximity to Boston. We have so many private schools in the area that moving to a town with great schools offers families the choice to go public or private.”

Okay, but what about closer to home, in Ipswich and Rowley? I went to Churchill Properties’ Andrea LaCroix to get a local angle.

“You are right. Schools are important, but not the only decision,” she told me. “Obviously they’re more important to buyers who will be sending their kids to school in the school system, but they’re also important for house values. A town that doesn’t have a reputable school system is likely lacking in other areas as well — but it’s likely the taxes are lower.”

Makes sense. I asked another Churchill Properties agent, Philio Cushing (niece of former Ipswich physician Dr. William Wigglesworth), for her opinion.

“Schools definitely can play an important role in home buying whether buyers have kids or not,” Philio says. “Even in the event people do not have children, they are still thinking about resale potential.”

In her view, systems such as Manchester-Essex and Hamilton-Wenham often attract the attention of buyers with children.

And what about Ipswich, specifically?

“I don’t hear the school topic come up as much in Ipswich, but when I do, it’s because the schools are good enough for people to at least be considering Ipswich,” Philio said.

Is “good enough” good enough?

It depends on your point of view.

The Ipswich school system is infinitely stronger than when I was clogging its halls back in the 50s and 60s. Sure, we had some great teachers (and some great sports teams), but our facilities were woefully inadequate. And I say this knowing my dad, chair of the school committee at that time, would completely agree.

But at a minimum, it would be wise to halt the current slide.

We can scoff at these school rankings, but they have real financial consequences for homeowners. And real consequences for students aspiring to take on the world.

Bob says he learned just enough math at IHS to calculate that Triton really could overtake Ipswich next year if trends continue. He can be reached at [email protected].

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