Quincy, MA Tier 3

Tier 3 · solid schools · 7 miles from downtown Boston, about 22 minutes door-to-door at peak · 45% of households own their home.

Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy · photo via Wikipedia
4BR house
$875k
$700k townhouse · $520k condo
Dearer than 65% of MA towns
Property tax
$10,300/yr
$11.78 per $1,000 on that house
Higher than 64% of MA towns
To downtown Boston
22 min
Rapid transit (T) · ~14 min to downtown
Closer than 97% of MA towns
Schools
53rd pct
growth 53rd · 94% graduate
Ahead of 53% of MA districts

marks the Massachusetts median of $750k for a 4BR, $9,100 in tax and 62 min to Boston. Prices and the tax bill are estimates, not appraisals.

About Quincy

Quincy is a middle-tier school district south-east of Boston, about 7 miles from downtown Boston as the crow flies and 22 minutes door-to-door at peak, and moderately priced by Massachusetts standards: roughly $875k for a 4BR house and $520k for a 2BR condo. The residential rate is $11.78 per $1,000, about average for Massachusetts, but on a $875k house that is still about $10,300 a year. Rapid transit reaches downtown in about 14 minutes, so a car-free commute works. The district sits in the 53rd percentile statewide on MCAS, and Niche ranks it 54th of 236. The City of Presidents, with four Red Line stops of its own.

The good, the bad, the ugly

Editorial
Good

The City of Presidents, with four Red Line stops of its own and real waterfront.

Bad

Schools land mid-tier despite the price climb.

Ugly

A downtown rebuilt around a decade-long construction zone that still isn't finished.

Schools and child caresolid schools · 53rd MCAS · 17 schools

Public elementary & middle schools

17 public schools in Quincy — 11 elementary and 6 middle
ElementaryK–4 · 524 students
ElementaryK–4 · 508 students
ElementaryK–5 · 365 students
ElementaryPK–5 · 357 students
ElementaryK–5 · 345 students
ElementaryK–5 · 340 students
ElementaryK–5 · 324 students
ElementaryK–5 · 323 students
ElementaryK–5 · 317 students
ElementaryK–5 · 304 students
ElementaryK–5 · 243 students
Elementary / middle5–8 · 444 students
Elementary / middle5–8 · 399 students
Elementary / middlePK–8 · 251 students
Middle6–8 · 650 students
Middle6–8 · 574 students
Middle6–8 · 332 students

These are assigned by address, not chosen. A regional district’s schools appear on every member town’s page. Charters are public but allocated by lottery, and are listed separately below.

DESE 2025–26 enrolment report

Before kindergarten

Licensed programs 42 center-based · 50 family child care92
Licensed places, all ages The ceiling these programs may operate to3,539
Places in centers Commercial premises, licensed room by room3,125
Places in family child care A provider’s own home, mixed ages together414
Infant & toddler places in centers Age bands ending under three; family programs are not broken down511
Preschool places in centers Roughly 33 months to kindergarten1,232
Head Start programs Federally funded, income-eligible1

Licensed capacity is not availability. These are places programs may operate, not vacancies. The age split covers centers only — family programs report no breakdown, so 511 is a floor on infant care here, not a count of it.

MA Dept. of Early Education and Care, pulled 2026-08-02 · search current openings

Public School Rankings

Publisher rankingResult
Niche 2026 · Best School Districts#54 of 236 MA districts · A-
SchoolDigger 2025 · City/locality test-score rank#201 of 361 MA localities
U.S. News 2025-26 · Assigned high school#48 of 366 MA · North Quincy High School
Boston Magazine 2025 · Greater Boston high school#84 of 135 · North Quincy High School
Official Massachusetts data (DESE)Result
MCAS achievement53rd percentile statewide
Student growth (SGP)53rd percentile
4-year graduation rate93.9%
DESE accountabilityModerate progress toward targets

Each publisher ranks a different thing. A district, a locality, or one high school, each by its own method — shown separately, never blended.

MCAS percentile is the district’s statewide rank on % Meeting/Exceeding expectations, ELA + Math.

School building projects: No major full-school construction or comprehensive rebuild with a published total project budget was located in the live MSBA, municipal, school-project, contractor, and local-news review completed in July 2026. This does not mean no school capital work occurred.

Charter School Options

1 charter school near Quincy
Adjacent town · DorchesterTuition-free · lottery5–12 · Charter (public, tuition-free) · growth 60th pct · 94.6% graduate · Substantial progress toward targets · $24k/pupil

Admission is by lottery, not address — a seat is never guaranteed. Some charters here are alternative or recovery high schools enrolling students already off-track, so their MCAS and graduation figures are not comparable with a traditional school’s.

Public and tuition-free; results from DESE

Available Private School Options

17 private schools in Quincy and within 12 miles
In QuincyNEASC accredited6–12 · Middle / high · 74 students · ~$36k–$50k/yr (est.)
In QuincyPK–8 · Elementary / middle · 309 students · 7.9:1 student-teacher · ~$8k–$15k/yr (est.)
In QuincyPK–5 · Elementary · files no enrolment with the state
Adjacent town · BraintreeNEASC accredited5–12 · Middle / high · 746 students · 6.4:1 student-teacher · ~$36k–$50k/yr (est.)
Adjacent town · BraintreeNEASC accredited7–12 · Middle / high · 768 students · 11.8:1 student-teacher · ~$18k–$28k/yr (est.)
Adjacent town · BraintreePK–5 · Elementary · 106 students · ~$18k–$30k/yr (est.)
Adjacent town · Braintree6–12 · Specialized / placement · 48 students · placement/specialized
Milton AcademyNiche #6 · A+
Adjacent town · MiltonNEASC accreditedK–12 · PK/K–12 · 1,031 students · ~$40k–$52k/yr (est.) · ~$70k/yr boarding
Adjacent town · MiltonPK–8 · Elementary / middle · 397 students · ~$8k–$15k/yr (est.)
Adjacent town · MiltonNEASC accredited7–12 · Middle / high · 323 students · ~$38k–$50k/yr (est.)
Adjacent town · MiltonPK–8 · Elementary / middle · 284 students · ~$8k–$15k/yr (est.)
Adjacent town · MiltonPK–8 · Elementary / middle · 141 students · ~$32k–$45k/yr (est.)
Adjacent town · MiltonAISNE accreditedPK–8 · Elementary / middle · 108 students · 7:1 student-teacher · ~$18k–$30k/yr (est.)
Adjacent town · DorchesterNEASC accredited7–12 · Catholic boys' college-preparatory school · 1,327 students · ~$29k/yr
Adjacent town · Dorchester9–12 · Catholic work-study high school · 217 students · 16.8:1 student-teacher · ~$3k/yr
Adjacent town · DorchesterAISNE accredited5–8 · Tuition-free independent middle school · 84 students · 3.3:1 student-teacher · ~$32k–$45k/yr (est.)
Adjacent town · DorchesterPK–8 · Catholic elementary and middle school · ~$12k/yr

Tuition is an estimated range by school type, not school-published pricing — a parochial school and an independent day school are priced very differently. Private schools sit no MCAS, so no figure here is a state measure.

How to read this list

Schools within 12 miles of Quincy, from the MA DESE 2025–26 non-public enrollment report plus the Niche ranking of Massachusetts private high schools. Tuition shown as an estimated range by school type, grades and region — not school-published pricing. A parochial school and an independent day school are priced very differently, so treat these as a starting point and confirm with the school. Niche ranks private high schools only, so an elementary school never carries a number; where one shows a letter instead, that is Niche’s own overall grade, which reaches schools no ranked list does. Neither is a state measure — private schools sit no MCAS and report no results to Massachusetts. That Niche extract is also partial, so a school showing neither was not judged and found wanting; it may simply not have been in it. Student numbers are the figure schools do report, from the same DESE return. Where a student-teacher ratio is shown it is students over full-time-equivalent teachers in the federal Private School Universe Survey, 2021–22, the most recent published — a rough guide to class size, not a class size, and not a ranking either. It is shown only where that survey and the state agree on how many pupils the school has, which is why many schools here have none. Accreditation comes from the AISNE member directory, which records whether a school holds AISNE or NEASC accreditation — the two split the work by age rather than compete, AISNE taking the elementary and middle schools and NEASC the secondary ones. It means an outside body has reviewed the school against published standards on a ten-year cycle. It is not a measure of results, and its absence is not a mark against a school: plenty are not members at all. That directory is also where the schools marked files no enrolment with the state come from. They are real schools that simply make no return to Massachusetts, so the state holds no size for them and this page can show none — and for those, the grade range is read off AISNE’s age bands rather than taken from the school, so treat it as approximate and confirm with the school.

The vibe of Quincy

Urban coresCoastalCollege presenceCompact centrehigh confidence

Active, dense/walkable, and well provided with recreation programs, playgrounds and athletic fields; higher-cost in housing and well-maintained in public spaces, with visible cultural identity, some visitor activity, and exceptional public realm.

Energy8
Compact town center9
Family amenities6
Culture8
Visitor presence6
Public gathering places9

Six 1–10 scales for the intensity of each quality, not a score of how good the place is. Higher just means more of that thing. Family amenities counts public recreation infrastructure, not who lives here; these never use race, ethnicity or other protected characteristics, and never measure safety. See the methodology.

What it takes to live here$875k 4BR · ≈$10,300 tax
To buyMedian price (est.)
4BR / 2BA detached house$875k
3BR / 2BA townhouse$700k
2BR condo$520k
Property taxes (FY2026)$11.78 per $1,000 (1.18%)

These are modeled estimates, not listings. Each row opens the real Redfin market in ZIP 02170, one of 3 in Quincy, and the two will not match.

To rentPer month (est.)
4 bedrooms$3,763/mo
3 bedrooms$3,413/mo
2 bedrooms$2,843/mo
1 bedroom$2,397/mo

These are benchmark rents, not asking rents. HUD sets them at the 40th percentile of standard-quality units, so a nice single-family will ask more — which is why the links are not capped at the figure beside them.

HUD FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rents for Quincy’s ZIP codes

Home values over the last decade

Quincy home values, 2016–2026Zillow Home Value Index for Quincy, 2016 to 2026: $413k to $690k, up 67 per cent.$380k$552k$724k20162026
Quincy, 2016 to 2026: $413k to $690k, up 67% in 10 years — 5.3% a year compounded.
If a $875k house grew at…5 yrs10 yrs15 yrs30 yrs
5.3% — Quincy’s own last decade$1.13M$1.47M$1.90M$4.12M
3% — inflation, holding its real value$1.01M$1.18M$1.36M$2.12M

These are not forecasts. They are what $875k becomes at a fixed rate, shown for two rates because nobody can tell you which one the next thirty years will bring. The last decade included a period of unusually fast growth across Massachusetts; repeating it for thirty years would be a strong assumption. The inflation row is the conservative case — a house that holds its value and earns nothing beyond it. History from the Zillow Home Value Index, a whole-town index that sits at a different level from the 4BR estimate above and is used here for the trend.

What’s around Quincy

urban6,133 people per square mile across 16.6 sq mi city density — 5,000+ people per square mile

What’s hereCount
Cafés and coffee shops
See the list

1 more is mapped without a name, so it cannot be listed.

18
Bookshops
See the list
2
Museums, theatres and galleries
See the list
8
Colleges and universities
See the list
2
Public libraryQuincy, Thomas Crane Public Library

3,061 students — 3% of Quincy’s population. 19% of them have a place in campus housing, under 1% of everyone living here. Enrolment is counted at the campus, so students who commute from elsewhere are included here.

Density is Census population over land area. Café, bookshop and culture counts are what is mapped in OpenStreetMap — a volunteer map, so a well-mapped town looks busier than a thinly-mapped one. Read a low count as “little mapped here”, not “nothing here”. Colleges are active degree-granting institutions in the federal IPEDS directory; enrolment and campus housing capacity are its 2023 figures. The public library comes from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, which lists library systems rather than every branch. These figures describe places, never the people in them — see our methodology.

Census snapshot
ACS 2019–2023 (via MAPC DataCommon)Share
Homeowner households45%
White (non-Hispanic)54%
Asian (non-Hispanic)29%
Latino / Hispanic5.8%
African American (non-Hispanic)6.1%
These figures are neutral census facts, shown for every town equally. They are never used to filter, rank, or recommend towns — see our methodology and the federal Fair Housing Act.

Town spending & civic data

QuincyFigure
Residents101,636
Municipal budgetFY2025, DLS Schedule A$479.4M
School district spending$220.4M
Spending per pupil DESE, total expenditures$21,834
School spending per resident$2,168
Affordable housing units (Ch. 40B inventory)4,461

Budget: FY2025 General Fund total expenditures, DLS Schedule A · Schools: DESE Per Pupil Expenditure · Affordable units: state Subsidized Housing Inventory. Never used to rank or filter towns.

Realistic alternatives to Quincy

MedfordTier 3
Also Tier 3, 6 min closer to Boston
MelroseTier 3
Also Tier 3, 6 min further from Boston
BraintreeTier 3
Also Tier 3, 11 min further from Boston
WatertownTier 3
Also Tier 3, 9 min further from Boston
WinthropTier 3
Also Tier 3, 12 min further from Boston
DedhamTier 3
Also Tier 3, 14 min further from Boston

Surprisingly similar in character

WorcesterTier 4
Both social and compact · $325k cheaper, 55 min further out
LowellTier 4
Both compact and social · $350k cheaper, 36 min further out
SomervilleTier 3
Both compact and social · $375k dearer
FraminghamTier 3
Both compact and social · 30 min further out

Read next

How many times will your child change schools before high school?
At least one building here runs kindergarten through eighth grade — no mid-childhood school change at all.
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Four of Boston’s job centers are the same commute. Longwood is not.
42 minutes to the Longwood Medical Area on the timetable, against 14 to downtown — one of the few places where the hospital district is genuinely reachable.
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The cheap towns grew fastest. The expensive ones made far more money.
5.3% a year over the last decade, near the bottom in percentage terms — which in an expensive town can still be the larger gain in dollars.
7 min read
A school rating is an average. Of how many schools?
That one school rating averages 17 elementary and middle schools, and they are not the same place.
6 min read
Data statusreviewed August 14, 2026
FigureStatus
Home pricesCalibrated to the Zillow Home Value Index and Redfin market pages. For comparison, not appraisal.Estimate
Property tax rateFY2026 residential rate per $1,000, from municipal assessor and treasurer pages.Sourced
RentsHUD FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rents, by ZIP.Sourced
School dataDESE published state reports. Publisher ranks carry their own edition and denominator. The school tier is editorial.Sourced
CommuteRail times for the 75 towns we could verify against the MBTA's published timetable are real scheduled journeys, transfers included. Where a town has rail but no verified journey, its rail time is modeled too, and the town page says so. Driving is modeled from distance with corridor adjustments, and station access is a flat allowance. Not measured by a routing API.Measured + modeled

This town’s prices and tax rate are sourced as described in our methodology. Data last reviewed . Full detail on every source is in the methodology.

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