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Chelsea, Massachusetts - 11 schools
An equity score of 42/100 ranks Chelsea #138 of 362 districts in Massachusetts (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $19,814 per pupil, Chelsea ranks #256 of 396 Massachusetts districts by per-pupil spending (Massachusetts districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
6,312
Total Enrollment
11
Schools
$19,814
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Chelsea operates 11 public schools serving 6,312 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Massachusetts. The school portfolio breaks down into 7 elementary, 2 high, 2 combined schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Suffolk County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $19,814 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 1.9% local, 83.4% state, and 14.7% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 42/100, ranked #138 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 2 of 11 schools offering Advanced Placement (14 AP courses district-wide), a 227.8:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 36.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 89.2% Hispanic or Latino, 5.6% White, 4.4% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Eugene Wright Science and Technology Academy, with a diversity index of 27.3/100.
Its largest campus is Chelsea High, enrolling 1,649 students (27% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Chelsea Virtual Learning Academy, at 54 students, a 31x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Chelsea High accounts for 26.1% of all Chelsea student enrollment
That concentration means Chelsea-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.
Chelsea school enrollment varies 31× across entities
Chelsea school enrollment ranges from 54 students (lowest) to 1,649 students (highest), a spread of 1,595 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Chelsea student-counselor ratio is 228:1 — 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.
Chelsea chronic absenteeism rate is 36.2% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Chelsea has 11 schools, including 2 high, 2 combined, 7 elementary. Total enrollment is 6,312 students.
How much does Chelsea spend per student?
Chelsea spends $19,814 per student. The district has an equity score of 42/100, ranking #138 in Massachusetts.
What is the demographic composition of Chelsea?
Chelsea students are 89.2% Hispanic or Latino, 5.6% White, 4.4% African American, 0.5% Asian, averaged across 11 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Chelsea?
Chelsea has an equity score of 42/100, ranking #138 out of 362 districts in Massachusetts.