Enrollment
589
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Athol, MA
Athol Community Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Athol Community Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 250216000080
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 71
📋 Attendance 9
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Athol Community Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Massachusetts schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Athol · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.4:1
- large classes for Massachusetts
- 589
- students enrolled
Athol Community Elementary School has class sizes larger than 83% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Athol Community Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Athol, MA.
School address
District: Athol-Royalston · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250216000080 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Athol Community Elementary School compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Athol Community Elementary School
Athol Community Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Athol, Massachusetts, enrolling 589 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 589 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 40/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 147 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Athol-Royalston also operates Athol-Royalston Middle School (446 students) and Athol High (417 students) alongside Athol Community Elementary School.
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 Athol Community Elementary School compares
Athol Community Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.4:1 | ▲ 17% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 589 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
589
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 17% above state mean
Top 83% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
36.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,820
per pupil, district-wide
- below Massachusetts avg of $22,458
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 147 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 75.9%
Hispanic or Latino 15.3%
Two or More 4.4%
African American 2.5%
Asian 1.9%
Largest group: White at 75.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.8, Athol Community Elementary School is less mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Athol-Royalston, which includes Athol Community Elementary School.
$18,820
Per student
-16%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.1%
State 65.4%
Federal 14.6%
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 Athol Community Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athol-Royalston Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Athol High | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Royalston Community School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Athol Community Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 446
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 417
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 152
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar other 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 (~589 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Athol Community Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Athol Community Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Athol-Royalston'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 Athol Community Elementary School
How many students attend Athol Community Elementary School?
Athol Community Elementary School has 589 students enrolled. It is a public school in Athol, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Athol Community Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Athol Community Elementary School is 14.4:1, which is 17% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Athol Community Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Athol Community Elementary School is White at 75.9% of enrollment, in Athol, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Athol Community Elementary School?
Athol Community Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Athol Community Elementary School rank among public schools in Athol?
By Resource Investment Index, Athol Community Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Athol, 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 Athol on the city page.
Is Athol Community Elementary School a good school?
Athol Community Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Massachusetts schools. 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 Athol-Royalston?
Besides Athol Community Elementary School, Athol-Royalston also operates Athol-Royalston Middle School (446 students), Athol High (417 students), and Royalston Community School (152 students). See the Athol-Royalston 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.