Enrollment
304
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Agawam, MA
Benjamin J Phelps
Federal NCES profile for Benjamin J Phelps, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250180000027
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 70
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Benjamin J Phelps earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Massachusetts schools.
- #2 of 4
- elementary schools in Agawam · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.9:1
- large classes for Massachusetts
- 304
- students enrolled
Benjamin J Phelps has class sizes larger than 96% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Benjamin J Phelps ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Agawam, MA.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.9:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benjamin J Phelps compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Benjamin J Phelps
Benjamin J Phelps is a mid-sized elementary school in Agawam, Massachusetts, enrolling 304 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.9:1 is larger than about 96% of Massachusetts schools and 46% above the 12.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 304 puts it in the smaller 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 (13%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 152 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Agawam's elementary schools, it stands alongside Roberta G. Doering School (522 students): Benjamin J Phelps is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.9:1 vs 12.7:1).
Agawam also operates Agawam High (1,025 students) and Agawam Junior High (527 students) alongside Benjamin J Phelps.
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 J Phelps compares
Benjamin J Phelps on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.9:1 | ▲ 46% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 304 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.9:1
Leaner classes than 25% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
304
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
17.9:1
students per teacher
- 46% above state mean
Top 96% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.3%
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
$21,700
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 152 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 75.7%
Hispanic or Latino 12.5%
Asian 5.3%
Two or More 3.3%
African American 2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 75.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.7, Benjamin J Phelps is less mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Agawam, which includes Benjamin J Phelps.
$21,700
Per student
-3%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.3%
State 37.0%
Federal 8.7%
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 J Phelps Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agawam High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Agawam Junior High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Roberta G. Doering School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Clifford M Granger | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| James Clark School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Benjamin J Phelps's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,025
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 527
- Students per teacher
- 8.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 522
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 361
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 297
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar elementary schools in Agawam
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~304 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Benjamin J Phelps's federal record.
- Compare Benjamin J Phelps against another school. Compare schools
- Agawam'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 J Phelps
How many students attend Benjamin J Phelps?
Benjamin J Phelps has 304 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Agawam, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benjamin J Phelps?
The student-teacher ratio at Benjamin J Phelps is 17.9:1, which is 46% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 14% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benjamin J Phelps?
The largest demographic group at Benjamin J Phelps is White at 75.7% of enrollment, in Agawam, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benjamin J Phelps?
Benjamin J Phelps has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Benjamin J Phelps rank among elementary schools in Agawam?
By Resource Investment Index, Benjamin J Phelps ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Agawam, MA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Agawam on the city page.
Is Benjamin J Phelps a good school?
Benjamin J Phelps earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% 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 Agawam?
Besides Benjamin J Phelps, Agawam also operates Agawam High (1,025 students), Agawam Junior High (527 students), and Roberta G. Doering School (522 students). See the Agawam 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.