Somerville operates 11 public schools serving 4,884 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Massachusetts. The school portfolio breaks down into 7 other, 2 high, 1 elementary, 1 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 4,952 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Middlesex County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $52,692 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 59.2% local, 33.2% state, and 7.6% 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 $154,417 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 55/100, ranked #34 of 362 in Massachusetts against a state average of 38 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 11 schools offering Advanced Placement (18 AP courses district-wide), a 140.7:1 student-counselor ratio that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 35.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 39.7% White, 36.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% African American across the district's schools.
Somerville High accounts for 28.2% of all Somerville student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Somerville-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.
Somerville school enrollment varies 87× across entities
Somerville school enrollment ranges from 16 students (lowest) to 1,394 students (highest), a spread of 1,378 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.
Somerville student-counselor ratio is 141:1 — 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.
Somerville chronic absenteeism rate is 35.6% — 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.
Somerville has 11 schools, including 2 high, 7 other, 1 elementary, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 4,884 students.
How much does Somerville spend per student?
Somerville spends $52,692 per student. The district has an equity score of 55/100, ranking #34 in Massachusetts.
What is the average teacher salary in Somerville?
The average teacher salary in Somerville is $154,417 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near Somerville?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Middlesex County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of Somerville?
Somerville students are 39.7% White, 36.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% African American, 5.7% Asian, averaged across 11 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Somerville?
Somerville has an equity score of 55/100, ranking #34 out of 362 districts in Massachusetts. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.