NCES CCD 2024-25 28 schools MA

Best-Resourced Schools in New Bedford, MA

Compiled from official source data by .

28 public K-12 schools in New Bedford from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

PlainSchools home → About this data
28
Schools
16,337
Students
42.8/100
Avg Resource Index
11.2:1
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

National city placement

Large, fragmented school market

According to NCES CCD 2024-25, New Bedford has more public-school enrollment than 90% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. New Bedford 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.

Combined-grade campuses shape the local portfolio

15 of New Bedford's 28 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.

Campus spread matters more than the city mean

The 21-point gap between Casimir Pulaski and Alma Del Mar Charter School shows the range hidden by New Bedford's average Resource Investment Index. The city figure is useful for national placement, but families ultimately choose among campuses with different grade spans, enrollment, district affiliations, and reported support fields. Start with schools serving the relevant grade level, then compare the index components rather than assuming the city average describes any one classroom.

City enrollment
Top 10%
School count
Top 9%
Resource Index average
60th percentile
Teacher staffing
93rd percentile

New Bedford High accounts for 17.6% of all New Bedford public-school enrollment

That concentration means New Bedford-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

New Bedford school enrollment varies 31× across entities

New Bedford school enrollment ranges from 93 students (lowest) to 2,878 students (highest), a spread of 2,785 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme heterogeneity inside a single city, with small specialty programs listed alongside large comprehensive campuses. 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

New Bedford student-teacher ratio is 11.2:1 — low (typically associated with smaller schools or per-school staffing investment that often correlates with stronger per-student supports)

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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe

# School Score
1. Casimir Pulaski 52
2. New Bedford High 50
3. Trinity Day Academy 50
4. Gr New Bedford Vocational Technical 48
5. Jireh Swift 48
6. James B Congdon 47
7. Elwyn G Campbell 47
8. William H Taylor 45
9. Carlos Pacheco 45
10. Betsey B Winslow 45
11. Roosevelt Middle School 44
12. Sgt Wm H Carney Academy 44
13. Whaling City Junior/Senior High School 44
14. Alfred J Gomes 43
15. Global Learning Charter Public School 43
16. Thomas R Rodman 43
17. Irwin M. Jacobs Elementary School 42
18. Elizabeth Carter Brooks 42
19. Keith Middle School 41
20. Hayden/Mcfadden 41
21. Normandin Middle School 40
22. Charles S Ashley 40
23. John Avery Parker 39
24. Ellen R Hathaway 39
25. John B Devalles 37
26. Abraham Lincoln 35
27. Renaissance Community Innovation School 32
28. Alma Del Mar Charter School 31

Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in New Bedford

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.

  1. 1 Sgt Wm H Carney Academy 70.1/100
  2. 2 James B Congdon 69.0/100
  3. 3 Elizabeth Carter Brooks 69.0/100
  4. 4 Keith Middle School 68.4/100
  5. 5 Ellen R Hathaway 66.7/100

What do families ask about schools in New Bedford?

Which New Bedford school has the highest Resource Investment Index? ▼

Casimir Pulaski has the highest Resource Investment Index among the New Bedford schools in this federal-data comparison at 52/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.

How many schools are in New Bedford, MA? ▼

New Bedford has 28 public schools with a total enrollment of 16,337 students. 2 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 11.2:1.

Other Cities in Massachusetts

Springfield
71 schools
Worcester
49 schools
Dorchester
29 schools
Lawrence
29 schools
Lowell
29 schools
Lynn
28 schools

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.