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Dalton, Massachusetts - 5 schools
An equity score of 32/100 ranks Central Berkshire #244 of 362 districts in Massachusetts (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $20,405 per pupil, Central Berkshire ranks #232 of 396 Massachusetts districts by per-pupil spending (Massachusetts districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,546
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$20,405
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Central Berkshire operates 5 public schools serving 1,546 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Massachusetts. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle 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 Berkshire County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $20,405 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 51.5% local, 43.4% state, and 5.1% 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 32/100, ranked #244 of 362 in Massachusetts against a state average of 38, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (14 AP courses district-wide), a 201.7:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 23.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 88.4% White, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.5% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Craneville, with a diversity index of 31.8/100.
Its largest campus is Craneville, enrolling 458 students (30% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Becket Washington School, at 91 students, a 5x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Craneville accounts for 29.6% of all Central Berkshire student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Central Berkshire-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
Central Berkshire school enrollment varies 5.0× across entities
Central Berkshire school enrollment ranges from 91 students (lowest) to 458 students (highest), a spread of 367 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Central Berkshire student-counselor ratio is 202:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Central Berkshire chronic absenteeism rate is 23.3% — 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 Central Berkshire is typically wider than the Central Berkshire-aggregate figure suggests.
Central Berkshire has 5 schools, including 1 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle, 2 combined. Total enrollment is 1,546 students.
How much does Central Berkshire spend per student?
Central Berkshire spends $20,405 per student. The district has an equity score of 32/100, ranking #244 in Massachusetts.
What is the demographic composition of Central Berkshire?
Central Berkshire students are 88.4% White, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.5% African American, 0.5% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Central Berkshire?
Central Berkshire has an equity score of 32/100, ranking #244 out of 362 districts in Massachusetts.