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South Hadley, Massachusetts - 4 schools
An equity score of 39/100 ranks South Hadley #172 of 362 districts in Massachusetts (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $18,249 per pupil, South Hadley ranks #323 of 396 Massachusetts districts by per-pupil spending (Massachusetts districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,699
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$18,249
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
South Hadley operates 4 public schools serving 1,699 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Massachusetts. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 elementary, 1 high, 1 combined 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 Hampshire County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,249 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 54.2% local, 36.9% state, and 8.9% 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 39/100, ranked #172 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 4 schools offering Advanced Placement (17 AP courses district-wide), a 179.4:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 35.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 73.2% White, 19.4% Hispanic or Latino, 2.1% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Plains Elementary, with a diversity index of 47.9/100.
Michael E. Smith Middle School accounts for 29.7% of all South Hadley student enrollment
That dominant concentration means South Hadley-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
South Hadley student-counselor ratio is 179:1 — 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.
South Hadley chronic absenteeism rate is 35.9% — 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.
South Hadley has 4 schools, including 2 elementary, 1 high, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 1,699 students.
How much does South Hadley spend per student?
South Hadley spends $18,249 per student. The district has an equity score of 39/100, ranking #172 in Massachusetts.
What is the demographic composition of South Hadley?
South Hadley students are 73.2% White, 19.4% Hispanic or Latino, 2.1% African American, 1.5% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for South Hadley?
South Hadley has an equity score of 39/100, ranking #172 out of 362 districts in Massachusetts.