Enrollment
487
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 250432000578
Brookside Elementary — Dracut, MA
Federal NCES profile for Brookside Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 49
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: Dracut · 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 12.1:1 Massachusetts avg
+38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Brookside Elementary 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
Brookside Elementary reports 487 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 38% 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 5% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 487 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dracut spends $17,154 per pupil district-wide, below the Massachusetts average of $28,509 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.3% from local sources (property taxes), 55.1% from the state, and 10.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F), 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 Brookside Elementary 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 | 16.7:1 | ▲ 38% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 487 | top 62% | — | — |
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
16.7:1
students per teacher
— 38% above state mean
Top 96% in Massachusetts — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.5%
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
$17,154
per pupil, district-wide
— below Massachusetts avg of $28,509
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 487 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 487 Top 62% in Massachusetts — larger than 38% of 1,831 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 16.7:1 +38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 250432000578
Student demographics
White 57.9%
Hispanic or Latino 14.8%
African American 12.7%
Asian 11.3%
Two or More 3.3%
Largest group: White at 57.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 487:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.5%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dracut, which includes Brookside Elementary.
$17,154
Per student
-40%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $28,509
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.3%
State 55.1%
Federal 10.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 916
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 792
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 565
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 520
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 211
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
Similar other schools in Dracut
1 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 Brookside Elementary
How many students attend Brookside Elementary?
Brookside Elementary has 487 students enrolled. It is a other school in Dracut, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Brookside Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Brookside Elementary is 16.7:1, which is 38% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.1:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Brookside Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Brookside Elementary is White at 57.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Dracut, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Brookside Elementary?
Brookside Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.