Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Dedham, Massachusetts - 7 schools
An equity score of 42/100 ranks Dedham #140 of 362 districts in Massachusetts (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $27,349 per pupil, Dedham ranks #75 of 396 Massachusetts districts by per-pupil spending (Massachusetts districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Dedham operates 7 public schools serving 2,556 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Massachusetts. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 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 $27,349 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 396 Massachusetts districts by per-pupil spending. See how Massachusetts compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 69.8% local, 22.7% state, and 7.5% 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 42/100, ranked #140 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 7 schools offering Advanced Placement (17 AP courses district-wide), a 202.2:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 20.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 63.3% White, 18.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Avery, with a diversity index of 63.4/100.
Its largest campus is Dedham High, enrolling 719 students (27% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Riverdale, at 206 students, a 3x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
That concentration means Dedham-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates 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
Dedham school enrollment ranges from 206 students (lowest) to 719 students (highest), a spread of 513 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.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
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.
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 Dedham is typically wider than the Dedham-aggregate figure suggests.
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 7 schools in Dedham.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Dedham's schools, above the Massachusetts average of 47.3.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Dedham High | 719 |
| Dedham Middle School | 555 |
| Avery | 321 |
| Greenlodge | 320 |
| Early Childhood Center | 285 |
| Oakdale | 262 |
| Riverdale | 206 |
The Massachusetts districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sudbury | Similar size | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| Auburn | Similar size | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| East Longmeadow | Similar size | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| Bedford | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Medfield | Similar size | Lower spending | Similar funding mix |
Comparisons are relative to Dedham's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Boston →Dedham has 7 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 4 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 2,556 students.
Dedham spends $27,349 per student. The district has an equity score of 42/100, ranking #140 in Massachusetts.
Dedham students are 63.3% White, 18.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% African American, 2.6% Asian, averaged across 7 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Dedham has an equity score of 42/100, ranking #140 out of 362 districts in Massachusetts.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.