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, or
report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
North Reading, Massachusetts - 5 schools
An equity score of 33/100 ranks North Reading #229 of 362 districts in Massachusetts (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $20,956 per pupil, North Reading ranks #210 of 396 Massachusetts districts by per-pupil spending (Massachusetts districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,383
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$20,956
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
North Reading operates 5 public schools serving 2,383 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Massachusetts. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary 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 Middlesex County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $20,956 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 396 Massachusetts districts by per-pupil spending. See how Massachusetts compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 73.1% local, 23.0% state, and 3.9% 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 33/100, ranked #229 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 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (17 AP courses district-wide), a 370.2:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 13.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 85.1% White, 5.6% Asian, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is J Turner Hood, with a diversity index of 31.4/100.
Its largest campus is North Reading High, enrolling 652 students (28% of the district's total enrollment).
North Reading High accounts for 27.4% of all North Reading student enrollment
That dominant concentration means North Reading-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.
North Reading school enrollment varies 2.2× across entities
North Reading school enrollment ranges from 303 students (lowest) to 652 students (highest), a spread of 349 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.
North Reading student-counselor ratio is 370:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
North Reading chronic absenteeism rate is 13.9% — low (typically associated with lower-than-average attendance disruption; districts in this range often have attendance interventions, robust transportation, or smaller catchments that reduce barriers)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
North Reading has 5 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary, 2 combined. Total enrollment is 2,383 students.
How much does North Reading spend per student?
North Reading spends $20,956 per student. The district has an equity score of 33/100, ranking #229 in Massachusetts.
What is the demographic composition of North Reading?
North Reading students are 85.1% White, 5.6% Asian, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% African American, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for North Reading?
North Reading has an equity score of 33/100, ranking #229 out of 362 districts in Massachusetts.