Lawrence
Public school district · Essex County · Massachusetts · NCES district ID 2506660
Lawrence spent $23,176 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 67% of the other Massachusetts districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $21,173). Its 26 schools enrolled 13,313 students in 2024-25; 87.2% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $25,802 per student, up 11.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 73% (Massachusetts: 89.2%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among Massachusetts's largest districts
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. Among the 10 districts shown, Lawrence ranks 6.
Where the money came from
$344,339,000 in revenue: 87.2% state, 1.8% local and 11.0% federal. Total spending including $39,620,000 of capital outlay was $389,558,000, or $30,233 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$300,210,000 87%
- Local$6,194,000 2%
- Federal$37,935,000 11%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 243 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment rose from 2022-23 to 2024-25
12,867 students in 2022-23, 13,008 students in 2023-24, 13,313 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 12,867 | 1148.9 | 11.2 |
| 2023-24 | 13,008 | 1149.5 | 11.3 |
| 2024-25 | 13,313 | 1159.8 | 11.5 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$80,607,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $6,256 per student
Lawrence booked $80,607,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 1,149 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $70,160 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 20 in 100 Massachusetts districts with a figure (state median $83,840, 276 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Massachusetts teacher salary at $88,903 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $68,987,000 | 85.6% |
| Special education | $11,620,000 | 14.4% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $5,285 in 2018-19, $5,359 in 2019-20, $6,072 in 2020-21, $6,122 in 2021-22, $6,256 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Lawrence scored proficient or above: 18% in reading and 16% in math, against 43.7% in reading and 40.7% in math across Massachusetts. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Massachusetts, not across states.
| Subject | This district | Massachusetts | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 18% | 43.7% | 7,073 |
| Math | 16% | 40.7% | 7,084 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
73% of the 919 students in Lawrence's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 89.2% across Massachusetts. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | Massachusetts | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 73% | 89.2% |
| Students in the class | 919 | 72,602 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
14 elementary schools, 5,814 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Lawrence East Elementary School | 666 | 12.0 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Edward F. Parthum | 656 | 13.4 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Robert Frost | 568 | 11.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Arlington Elementary | 558 | 8.9 | not reported | Schoolwide program |
| Francis M Leahy | 525 | 13.5 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Gerard A. Guilmette | 485 | 11.0 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Emily G Wetherbee | 480 | 8.7 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Oliver Elementary School | 469 | 10.9 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| James F Hennessey | 300 | 9.5 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| John K Tarbox | 281 | 11.5 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| John Breen School | 262 | 10.1 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Lawlor Early Childhood Center | 205 | 12.4 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
The other 2 elementary schools
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Family Public Academy | 202 | 9.9 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Rollins Early Childhood Center | 157 | 7.5 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
8 middle schools, 3,656 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parthum Middle School | 585 | 13.9 | not reported | Schoolwide program |
| Arlington Middle School | 543 | 12.2 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Frost Middle School | 508 | 14.5 | not reported | Schoolwide program |
| Alexander B Bruce | 462 | 11.2 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Guilmette Middle School | 457 | 9.0 | not reported | Schoolwide program |
| Spark Academy | 443 | 9.4 | not reported | Schoolwide program |
| Oliver Middle School | 348 | 11.6 | not reported | Schoolwide program |
| Leonard Middle School | 310 | 13.8 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
3 high schools, 3,725 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence High School | 3,453 | 13.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| High School Learning Center | 198 | 12.9 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| RISE Academy | 74 | 7.8 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
1 other school, 118 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School for Exceptional Studies | 118 | 3.8 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact Lawrence
- Website: lawrence.k12.ma.us
- Phone: (978) 975-5905
- Office: 237 Essex Street, Lawrence, MA 01840
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Lawrence
- Massachusetts districts by spending per studentLawrence ranks 81 of 243 Massachusetts districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($23,176).#81 of 243
- Every school district in MassachusettsLawrence is the number 7 by size of 397 Massachusetts districts, with 12,885 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#7 of 397
- Lowell Public SchoolsThe next larger Massachusetts district: 14,228 students in fall 2022, $22,286 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$22,286
- New Bedford Public SchoolsThe next smaller Massachusetts district: 12,640 students in fall 2022, $22,807 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$22,807
- Compare Lawrence with Lowell Public SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Lawrence High School, its largest high school3,453 students in 2024-25, 13.6 per teacher.3,453
- Teacher salary spending across MassachusettsLawrence spent $70,160 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $83,840); spending, not a salary.$70,160
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Lawrence
How many schools and students are in Lawrence?
26 schools were open in 2024-25 (14 elementary, 8 middle, 3 high, 1 other), enrolling 13,313 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Lawrence spend per student?
$23,176 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Massachusetts median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $21,173 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $25,802 per student, up 11.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Lawrence's money come from?
$344,339,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 87.2% state, 1.8% local and 11.0% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Lawrence live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 3,725 of the 16,657 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 22.4%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Lawrence spend on teacher salaries?
$80,607,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $6,256 per student. Divided by the 1,149 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $70,160 per teacher, more than 20 in 100 Massachusetts districts (state median $83,840). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Massachusetts teacher salary at $88,903 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Lawrence do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Lawrence scored proficient or above: 18% in reading and 16% in math, against 43.7% in reading and 40.7% in math across Massachusetts. Massachusetts's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in Lawrence?
73% of the 919 students in Lawrence's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 89.2% across Massachusetts. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Lawrence's NCES district ID?
2506660. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25