Enrollment
740
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 250246000139
Bellingham High School — Bellingham, MA
Federal NCES profile for Bellingham High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 84
📋 Attendance 40
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Bellingham · Massachusetts
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 12.1:1 Massachusetts avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bellingham High School compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Bellingham High School reports 740 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 59.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% above the Massachusetts state mean of 12.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 20% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 82 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bellingham spends $26,823 per pupil district-wide, below the Massachusetts average of $28,509 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 59.2% from local sources (property taxes), 33.3% from the state, and 7.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bellingham High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Massachusetts state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.7:1 | ▲ 5% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 740 | top 84% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
12.7:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 65% in Massachusetts — lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
24.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$26,823
per pupil, district-wide
— below Massachusetts avg of $28,509
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors9.0 FTE
Per 82 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 740 Top 84% in Massachusetts — larger than 16% of 1,831 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 59.0
Students per teacher 12.7:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 250246000139
Student demographics
White 79.1%
Hispanic or Latino 12.2%
Asian 3.4%
Two or More 2.4%
African American 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 79.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 11
Counselors (FTE) 9.0
Students per counselor 82:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.1%
In-school suspensions 10
Out-of-school suspensions 24
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bellingham, which includes Bellingham High School.
$26,823
Per student
-6%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $28,509
+38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 59.2%
State 33.3%
Federal 7.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 586
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 385
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 280
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Enrollment
- 100
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 29
- Students per teacher
- 4.7:1
Similar other schools in Bellingham
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Bellingham High School
How many students attend Bellingham High School?
Bellingham High School has 740 students enrolled. It is a other school in Bellingham, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bellingham High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bellingham High School is 12.7:1, which is 5% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.1:1 and 20% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bellingham High School?
The largest demographic group at Bellingham High School is White at 79.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bellingham, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bellingham High School?
Bellingham High School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.