Dover vs Medfield
marks the Massachusetts median on each scale. The better of the two is picked out where the gap is big enough to call; where neither is, they are level.
On schools these two are genuinely close — same tier and within five MCAS percentiles of each other — so the schools should not decide it. Price and commute should.
On tax, look past the rate: Medfield works out roughly $4,100 a year cheaper on its own median 4BR — despite having the higher rate of the two, because the bill follows the house.
Choose Dover if the commute matters most.
All Dover numbers →Choose Medfield if you want the lower price.
All Medfield numbers →Side by side
Some rows have no better. Town character describes a place rather than ranking it, and per-pupil spending tracks need rather than results, so neither is picked out.
SchoolsDover ahead on 3 of 10
| Dover | Medfield | |
|---|---|---|
| School tier | top schoolsT1 | top schoolsT1 |
| MCAS achievement | 95th | 96th |
| Student growth | 52nd | 52nd |
| Graduation rate | 98.1% | 96.7% |
| Niche district rank | 5th of 236 | 23rd of 236 |
| SchoolDigger rank | 6th of 361 | 15th of 361 |
| State accountability | Meeting or exceeding targets | Meeting or exceeding targets |
| Spending per pupil | $26,166 | $20,886 |
| Schools in the district | 2 | 4 |
| Private schools within 12 mi | 37 | 25 |
What a home costsMedfield ahead on 7 of 8
| Dover | Medfield | |
|---|---|---|
| 4BR house | $2MT4 | $1.35MT3 |
| 3BR townhouse | $1.3M | $950k |
| 2BR condo | $960k | $705k |
| 3BR home | $1.32M | $889k |
| 5+ BR home | $2.63M | $1.58M |
| 3BR rent | $3,800/mo | $3,443/mo |
| Income needed for the 4BR | $521k | $365k |
| 10-year price growth | 5.1% a year | 5.4% a year |
What you pay the townEven, 1 each of 4
| Dover | Medfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Tax rate | $11.19T2 | $13.52T3 |
| Est. tax bill on that 4BR | ≈$22,400 | ≈$18,300 |
| Town spending per resident | $7,357 | $5,766 |
| Share of budget on schools | 57% | 60% |
Getting to workDover ahead on 1 of 3
| Dover | Medfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Commute to Boston | 44 minT2 | 47 minT3 |
| MBTA rail | No MBTA rail | No MBTA rail |
| Miles from downtown | 15 mi | 17 mi |
Before kindergartenMedfield ahead on 3 of 4
| Dover | Medfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed child care programs | 4 | 11 |
| Child care places | 152 | 848 |
| Centers vs family programs | 4 centers | 10 centers |
| Infant places in centers | 9 | 130 |
What the place is likeDescribes the two, does not rank them
| Dover | Medfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,923 | 12,799 |
| Energy | 2/10 | 4/10 |
| Compact center | 2/10 | 4/10 |
| Family amenities | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Culture | 4/10 | 4/10 |
| Gathering places | 4/10 | 6/10 |
The tax bill is each town’s own rate on its own median 4BR, so a lower rate does not always mean a lower bill. School tiers are editorial, shown beside the state’s own MCAS figures rather than derived from them.
Prices calibrated to Zillow ZHVI and Redfin · FY2026 residential tax rates · rail leg from the MBTA timetable, drive modeled · rents are HUD FY2027 Small Area FMRs · reviewed · methodology. Never uses demographics as an input.
