Enrollment
1,677
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Arlington, MA
Arlington High
Federal NCES profile for Arlington High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 250198000053
👥 S:T ratio 42
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 58
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Arlington High earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Massachusetts schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Massachusetts.
- #8 of 11
- public schools in Arlington · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.6:1
- large classes for Massachusetts
- 1,677
- students enrolled
Arlington High has class sizes larger than 84% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Arlington High ranks #8 of 11 public schools in Arlington, MA.
School address
District: Arlington · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250198000053 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
115.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Arlington High compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Arlington High
Arlington High is a large high school in Arlington, Massachusetts, enrolling 1,677 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Massachusetts, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,677 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Asian (10%) (diversity index 48/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 22 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 262 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
16.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 11 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Arlington also operates Ottoson Middle (963 students) and Thompson (537 students) alongside Arlington High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Arlington High compares
Arlington High on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.6:1 | ▲ 19% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,677 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,677
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 19% above state mean
Top 84% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$20,341
per pupil, district-wide
- below Massachusetts avg of $22,458
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors6.4 FTE
Per 262 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 11 expulsions.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 70.2%
Asian 10.1%
Hispanic or Latino 9.1%
Two or More 6.7%
African American 3.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 70.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.3, Arlington High is about as mixed as the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 22
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Arlington, which includes Arlington High.
$20,341
Per student
-9%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.2%
State 32.9%
Federal 4.9%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Arlington High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottoson Middle | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Thompson | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gibbs School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| M Norcross Stratton | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Brackett | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Arlington High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 963
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 537
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 529
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 448
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 394
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Massachusetts, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,677 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Arlington High's federal record.
- Compare Arlington High against another school. Compare schools
- Arlington's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Arlington High
How many students attend Arlington High?
Arlington High has 1,677 students enrolled. It is a high school in Arlington, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Arlington High?
The student-teacher ratio at Arlington High is 14.6:1, which is 19% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Arlington High?
The largest demographic group at Arlington High is White at 70.2% of enrollment, in Arlington, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Arlington High?
Arlington High has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Arlington High rank among public schools in Arlington?
By Resource Investment Index, Arlington High ranks #8 of 11 public schools in Arlington, MA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Arlington on the city page.
Is Arlington High a good school?
Arlington High earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Massachusetts schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Massachusetts. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Arlington?
Besides Arlington High, Arlington also operates Ottoson Middle (963 students), Thompson (537 students), and Gibbs School (529 students). See the Arlington district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.