29 public K-12 schools in Lowell from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
National city placement
According to NCES CCD 2024-25, Lowell has more public-school enrollment than 90% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. Lowell is among the largest city school systems in this directory by enrollment, but its campuses are divided among 4 districts. That combination matters: citywide averages blend separate budgets, staffing policies, attendance boundaries, and program rules. For a family comparing schools here, the district column is as important as the city average; two nearby campuses may answer to different boards and draw on different F-33 funding pools.
17 of Lowell's 29 listed schools use NCES's combined or “other” grade-level classification. Citywide averages therefore blend campuses serving unusually broad or nonstandard grade spans with conventional elementary, middle, and high schools. Grade configuration is a first-order comparison here, not a minor label.
Lowell's average Resource Investment Index sits at the 21st percentile, while its teacher-staffing measure sits at the 86th percentile. The 65-point percentile gap is a reminder that the index is not a class-size score: counselors, gifted-program reporting, and attendance also affect it. Compare those components directly when two schools have similar index totals; the same headline score can arise from a different mix of reported resources.
That concentration means Lowell-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade level: High. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how districts allocate programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Lowell school enrollment ranges from 15 students (lowest) to 3,446 students (highest), a spread of 3,431 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing and program breadth can differ sharply at opposite ends of that enrollment range, so the city average should not be treated as a typical campus.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
10% of the city's listed public-school campuses are reported as charter schools in NCES CCD. Charter status identifies a different governance arrangement; it does not establish admissions availability, academic quality, or the share of city students enrolled in those campuses. Open each school record to compare enrollment and staffing directly.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
| # | School | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | The Career Academy | 60 |
| 2. | Laura Lee Therapeutic Day School | 59 |
| 3. | Lowell Community Charter Public School | 57 |
| 4. | Leblanc Therapeutic Day School | 57 |
| 5. | Lowell High | 41 |
| 6. | Cardinal O'connell Early Learning Center | 41 |
| 7. | Kathryn P. Stoklosa Middle School | 40 |
| 8. | Charles W Morey | 37 |
| 9. | Pawtucketville Memorial | 36 |
| 10. | Dr an Wang School | 33 |
| 11. | Dr Gertrude Bailey | 32 |
| 12. | Charlotte M Murkland Elementary | 32 |
| 13. | Peter W Reilly | 31 |
| 14. | James Sullivan Middle School | 30 |
| 15. | John J Shaughnessy | 30 |
| 16. | James S Daley Middle School | 29 |
| 17. | Washington | 29 |
| 18. | Pyne Arts | 28 |
| 19. | Joseph Mcavinnue | 28 |
| 20. | Bartlett Community Partnership | 28 |
| 21. | Moody Elementary | 28 |
| 22. | Greenhalge | 27 |
| 23. | Lowell Middlesex Academy Charter School | 26 |
| 24. | S Christa Mcauliffe Elementary | 25 |
| 25. | Abraham Lincoln | 25 |
| 26. | B.F. Butler Middle School | 24 |
| 27. | Collegiate Charter School of Lowell | 22 |
| 28. | Henry J Robinson Middle | 22 |
| 29. | Rogers Stem Academy | 19 |
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
The Career Academy has the highest Resource Investment Index among the Lowell schools in this federal-data comparison at 60/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.
Lowell has 29 public schools with a total enrollment of 16,541 students. 3 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 12.3:1.
Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in Massachusetts →
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. The Resource Investment Index uses reported student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance; it is not an academic rating. Cities must include at least five schools to be listed. This public-data comparison is for informational purposes: verify current enrollment, attendance boundaries, and programs with the school district before acting. See the guide to understanding NCES data.
