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Medford, Massachusetts - 8 schools
An equity score of 48/100 ranks Medford #85 of 362 districts in Massachusetts (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $23,504 per pupil, Medford ranks #131 of 396 Massachusetts districts by per-pupil spending (Massachusetts districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,201
Total Enrollment
8
Schools
$23,504
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Medford operates 8 public schools serving 4,201 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Massachusetts. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 combined, 2 high, 2 middle 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 Middlesex County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $23,504 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 66.5% local, 26.2% state, and 7.4% 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 48/100, ranked #85 of 362 in Massachusetts against a state average of 38, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 8 schools offering Advanced Placement (19 AP courses district-wide), a 261.1:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 28.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 55.1% White, 18.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is John J Mcglynn Elementary School, with a diversity index of 72.6/100.
Its largest campus is Medford High, enrolling 1,195 students (29% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Curtis-Tufts, at 11 students, a 109x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Medford High accounts for 28.4% of all Medford student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Medford-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.
Medford school enrollment varies 109× across entities
Medford school enrollment ranges from 11 students (lowest) to 1,195 students (highest), a spread of 1,184 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Medford student-counselor ratio is 261:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Medford is typically wider than the Medford-aggregate figure suggests.
Medford chronic absenteeism rate is 28.5% — 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 Medford is typically wider than the Medford-aggregate figure suggests.