New Bedford operates 25 public schools serving 12,640 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Massachusetts. The school portfolio breaks down into 14 other, 7 elementary, 3 middle, 1 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 12,636 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Bristol County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $23,947 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 1.9% local, 82.7% state, and 15.4% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $113,580 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 52/100, ranked #54 of 362 in Massachusetts against a state average of 38 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 25 schools offering Advanced Placement (20 AP courses district-wide), a 105.7:1 student-counselor ratio that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 42.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 43.4% Hispanic or Latino, 34.8% White, 14.4% African American across the district's schools.
New Bedford High accounts for 22.8% of all New Bedford student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means New Bedford-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.
New Bedford school enrollment varies 31× across entities
New Bedford school enrollment ranges from 93 students (lowest) to 2,878 students (highest), a spread of 2,785 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.
New Bedford student-counselor ratio is 106:1 — 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.
New Bedford chronic absenteeism rate is 42.1% — 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.
New Bedford has 25 schools, including 1 high, 3 middle, 14 other, 7 elementary. Total enrollment is 12,640 students.
How much does New Bedford spend per student?
New Bedford spends $23,947 per student. The district has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #54 in Massachusetts.
What is the average teacher salary in New Bedford?
The average teacher salary in New Bedford is $113,580 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near New Bedford?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Bristol County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of New Bedford?
New Bedford students are 43.4% Hispanic or Latino, 34.8% White, 14.4% African American, 0.8% Asian, averaged across 25 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for New Bedford?
New Bedford has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #54 out of 362 districts in Massachusetts. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.