Enrollment
359
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Reading, MA
Birch Meadow
Federal NCES profile for Birch Meadow, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250999001606
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 76
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Birch Meadow earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of Massachusetts schools.
- #1 of 5
- elementary schools in Reading · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.6:1
- small classes for Massachusetts
- 359
- students enrolled
Birch Meadow has class sizes smaller than 71% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Birch Meadow ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Reading, MA.
School address
District: Reading · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250999001606 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.6:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Birch Meadow compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Birch Meadow
Birch Meadow is a mid-sized elementary school in Reading, Massachusetts, enrolling 359 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 359 students, its enrollment sits close to the Massachusetts median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 1,831 Massachusetts schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Reading's elementary schools, it stands alongside J Warren Killam (406 students): Birch Meadow is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.6:1 vs 15:1).
Reading also operates Reading Memorial High (1,094 students) and Walter S Parker Middle (467 students) alongside Birch Meadow.
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 Birch Meadow compares
Birch Meadow on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.6:1 | ▼ 14% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 359 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.6:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
359
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10.6:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 29% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
9.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$18,744
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 82.2%
Asian 5.3%
Two or More 5.3%
Hispanic or Latino 4.5%
African American 2.8%
Largest group: White at 82.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.6, Birch Meadow is less mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Reading, which includes Birch Meadow.
$18,744
Per student
-17%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.5%
State 25.7%
Federal 7.9%
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 Birch Meadow Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Memorial High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Walter S Parker Middle | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| J Warren Killam | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Arthur W Coolidge Middle | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Joshua Eaton | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Birch Meadow's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,094
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 467
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 406
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 405
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 388
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar elementary schools in Reading
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
J Warren Killam
Standard public school
406 students 15:1 students per teacher
Joshua Eaton
Standard public school
388 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Alice M Barrows
Standard public school
365 students 14:1 students per teacher
Wood End Elementary School
Standard public school
236 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
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 (~359 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Birch Meadow's federal record.
- Compare Birch Meadow against another school. Compare schools
- Reading'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 Birch Meadow
How many students attend Birch Meadow?
Birch Meadow has 359 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Reading, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Birch Meadow?
The student-teacher ratio at Birch Meadow is 10.6:1, which is 14% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 32% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Birch Meadow?
The largest demographic group at Birch Meadow is White at 82.2% of enrollment, in Reading, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Birch Meadow?
Birch Meadow has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Birch Meadow rank among elementary schools in Reading?
By Resource Investment Index, Birch Meadow ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Reading, 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 Reading on the city page.
Is Birch Meadow a good school?
Birch Meadow earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% 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 Reading?
Besides Birch Meadow, Reading also operates Reading Memorial High (1,094 students), Walter S Parker Middle (467 students), and J Warren Killam (406 students). See the Reading 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.