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Waltham, Massachusetts - 10 schools
An equity score of 54/100 ranks Waltham #43 of 362 districts in Massachusetts (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $26,713 per pupil, Waltham ranks #61 of 396 Massachusetts districts by per-pupil spending (Massachusetts districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
5,703
Total Enrollment
10
Schools
$26,713
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Waltham operates 10 public schools serving 5,703 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Massachusetts. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 elementary, 2 middle, 2 combined, 1 high schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. 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 $26,713 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 396 Massachusetts districts by per-pupil spending. See how Massachusetts compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 60.4% local, 33.3% state, and 6.3% 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 54/100, ranked #43 of 362 in Massachusetts against a state average of 38, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 10 schools offering Advanced Placement (24 AP courses district-wide), a 280.4:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 21.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 48.6% Hispanic or Latino, 33.8% White, 8.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Thomas R Plympton Elementary School, with a diversity index of 68.1/100.
Its largest campus is Waltham Sr High, enrolling 1,791 students (31% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Waltham Public Schools Dual Language Program, at 222 students, a 8x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Waltham Sr High accounts for 31.3% of all Waltham student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Waltham-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.
Waltham school enrollment varies 8.1× across entities
Waltham school enrollment ranges from 222 students (lowest) to 1,791 students (highest), a spread of 1,569 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Waltham student-counselor ratio is 280:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Waltham is typically wider than the Waltham-aggregate figure suggests.
Waltham chronic absenteeism rate is 21.6% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within Waltham is typically wider than the Waltham-aggregate figure suggests.