Needham Public Schools
Listed by NCES as Needham (district ID 2508370)
Public school district · Norfolk County · Massachusetts · NCES district ID 2508370
Needham Public Schools spent $23,890 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 72% of the other Massachusetts districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $21,173). Its 8 schools enrolled 5,493 students in 2024-25; 20.4% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $25,207 per student, up 5.5% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 99% or more (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 districts of similar size
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Needham Public Schools in enrollment (5,302 to 5,963 students) and Needham Public Schools itself.
Where the money came from
$151,775,000 in revenue: 20.4% state, 75.8% local and 3.8% federal. Total spending including $8,763,000 of capital outlay was $151,111,000, or $27,013 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$30,911,000 20%
- Local$115,028,000 76%
- Federal$5,836,000 4%
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 held steady from 2022-23 to 2024-25
5,525 students in 2022-23, 5,541 students in 2023-24, 5,493 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 | 5,525 | 436.6 | 12.7 |
| 2023-24 | 5,541 | 449.8 | 12.3 |
| 2024-25 | 5,493 | 454.4 | 12.1 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$43,172,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $7,718 per student
Needham Public Schools booked $43,172,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 437 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 $98,799 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 88 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 | $35,082,000 | 81.3% |
| Special education | $8,090,000 | 18.7% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $6,669 in 2018-19, $6,833 in 2019-20, $7,554 in 2020-21, $7,637 in 2021-22, $7,718 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 Needham Public Schools scored proficient or above: 70% in reading and 71% 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 | 70% | 43.7% | 3,027 |
| Math | 71% | 40.7% | 3,022 |
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
99% or more of the 381 students in Needham Public Schools' 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 | 99% or more | 89.2% |
| Students in the class | 381 | 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.
5 elementary schools, 2,552 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newman Elementary | 696 | 12.3 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Sunita L. Williams Elementary | 533 | 13.1 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Broadmeadow | 502 | 14.0 | not reported | Not Title I |
| William Mitchell | 424 | 12.6 | not reported | Not Title I |
| John Eliot | 397 | 11.7 | not reported | Targeted 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.
2 middle schools, 1,308 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pollard Middle | 867 | 11.0 | not reported | Not Title I |
| High Rock School | 441 | 11.8 | not reported | Not Title I |
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 high school, 1,633 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Needham High | 1,633 | 11.9 | not reported | Not Title I |
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 Needham Public Schools
- Website: needham.k12.ma.us
- Phone: (781) 455-0400
- Office: 1330 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA 02492
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 Needham Public Schools
- Massachusetts districts by spending per studentNeedham Public Schools ranks 69 of 243 Massachusetts districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($23,890).#69 of 243
- Every school district in MassachusettsNeedham Public Schools is the number 33 by size of 397 Massachusetts districts, with 5,594 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#33 of 397
- Weymouth Public SchoolsThe next larger Massachusetts district: 5,676 students in fall 2022, $19,172 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$19,172
- Andover Public SchoolsThe next smaller Massachusetts district: 5,590 students in fall 2022, $24,016 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$24,016
- Compare Needham Public Schools with Weymouth Public SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Needham High, its largest high school1,633 students in 2024-25, 11.9 per teacher.1,633
- Teacher salary spending across MassachusettsNeedham Public Schools spent $98,799 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $83,840); spending, not a salary.$98,799
- 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 Needham Public Schools
How many schools and students are in Needham Public Schools?
8 schools were open in 2024-25 (5 elementary, 2 middle, 1 high), enrolling 5,493 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Needham Public Schools spend per student?
$23,890 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 $25,207 per student, up 5.5% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Needham Public Schools' money come from?
$151,775,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 20.4% state, 75.8% local and 3.8% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Needham Public Schools live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 124 of the 6,473 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 1.9%, 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 Needham Public Schools spend on teacher salaries?
$43,172,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $7,718 per student. Divided by the 437 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $98,799 per teacher, more than 88 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 Needham Public Schools do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Needham Public Schools scored proficient or above: 70% in reading and 71% 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 Needham Public Schools?
99% or more of the 381 students in Needham Public Schools' 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 Needham Public Schools' NCES district ID?
2508370. 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