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Canton, Massachusetts - 6 schools
An equity score of 21/100 ranks Canton #325 of 362 districts in Massachusetts (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $19,938 per pupil, Canton ranks #250 of 396 Massachusetts districts by per-pupil spending (Massachusetts districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,273
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$19,938
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Canton operates 6 public schools serving 3,273 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Massachusetts. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Norfolk County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $19,938 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 396 Massachusetts districts by per-pupil spending. See how Massachusetts compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 71.4% local, 23.8% state, and 4.7% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 21/100, ranked #325 of 362 in Massachusetts against a state average of 38, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (19 AP courses district-wide), a 158.7:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 16.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 61.4% White, 12.2% African American, 10.9% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Dean S Luce, with a diversity index of 62.0/100.
Its largest campus is Canton High, enrolling 968 students (29% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Rodman Early Childhood Center, at 121 students, a 8x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Canton High accounts for 29.2% of all Canton student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Canton-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Canton school enrollment varies 8.0× across entities
Canton school enrollment ranges from 121 students (lowest) to 968 students (highest), a spread of 847 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Canton student-counselor ratio is 159:1 — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.
Canton chronic absenteeism rate is 16.0% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Canton is typically wider than the Canton-aggregate figure suggests.
Canton has 6 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 3 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 3,273 students.
How much does Canton spend per student?
Canton spends $19,938 per student. The district has an equity score of 21/100, ranking #325 in Massachusetts.
What is the demographic composition of Canton?
Canton students are 61.4% White, 12.2% African American, 10.9% Asian, 8.7% Hispanic or Latino, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Canton?
Canton has an equity score of 21/100, ranking #325 out of 362 districts in Massachusetts.