Enrollment
219
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Somerville, MA
Benjamin G Brown
Federal NCES profile for Benjamin G Brown, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 251089001732
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Benjamin G Brown earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Massachusetts schools.
- #5 of 11
- public schools in Somerville · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.8:1
- large classes for Massachusetts
- 219
- students enrolled
Benjamin G Brown has class sizes larger than 94% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Benjamin G Brown ranks #5 of 11 public schools in Somerville, MA.
School address
District: Somerville · Massachusetts
NCES ID 251089001732 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benjamin G Brown compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Benjamin G Brown
Benjamin G Brown is a mid-sized elementary school in Somerville, Massachusetts, enrolling 219 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.8:1 is larger than about 94% of Massachusetts schools and 37% above the 12.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 219 puts it in the smaller third of Massachusetts schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and Two or More (15%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 219 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Somerville spends $27,320 per pupil, 22% above the Massachusetts average, a better-resourced district than most.
Somerville also operates Somerville High (1,394 students) and E Somerville Community (747 students) alongside Benjamin G Brown.
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 Benjamin G Brown compares
Benjamin G Brown on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.8:1 | ▲ 37% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 219 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
219
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 37% above state mean
Top 94% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
7.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$27,320
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 219 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 64.2%
Two or More 14.7%
African American 7.8%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
Asian 6.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 64.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.2, Benjamin G Brown is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Somerville, which includes Benjamin G Brown.
$27,320
Per student
+22%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+65%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 59.2%
State 33.2%
Federal 7.6%
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 Benjamin G Brown Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somerville High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| E Somerville Community | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Albert F. Argenziano School at Lincoln Park | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Arthur D Healey | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| John F Kennedy | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Benjamin G Brown's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,394
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 747
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 553
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 482
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 439
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar elementary 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 (~219 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Benjamin G Brown's federal record.
- Compare Benjamin G Brown against another school. Compare schools
- Somerville'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 Benjamin G Brown
How many students attend Benjamin G Brown?
Benjamin G Brown has 219 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Somerville, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benjamin G Brown?
The student-teacher ratio at Benjamin G Brown is 16.8:1, which is 37% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benjamin G Brown?
The largest demographic group at Benjamin G Brown is White at 64.2% of enrollment, in Somerville, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benjamin G Brown?
Benjamin G Brown has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher 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 Benjamin G Brown rank among public schools in Somerville?
By Resource Investment Index, Benjamin G Brown ranks #5 of 11 public schools in Somerville, 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 Somerville on the city page.
Is Benjamin G Brown a good school?
Benjamin G Brown earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% 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 Somerville?
Besides Benjamin G Brown, Somerville also operates Somerville High (1,394 students), E Somerville Community (747 students), and Albert F. Argenziano School at Lincoln Park (553 students). See the Somerville 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.