Enrollment
28
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Dorchester, MA
Carter School
Federal NCES profile for Carter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 16/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 250279000210
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 2
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Carter School earns 16/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the smallest schools in Massachusetts.
- #26 of 26
- schools in Dorchester · Resource Index
- 16
- Resource Index · Lower
- 28
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Carter School ranks #26 of 26 schools in Dorchester, MA.
School address
District: Boston · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250279000210 Verify on NCES CCD record →
What stands out at Carter School
Carter School is a small combined-grade school in Dorchester, Massachusetts, enrolling 28 students.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 99% of Massachusetts schools, with 28 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 1,831 Massachusetts schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is led by African American (50%) and Hispanic or Latino (39%) (diversity index 58/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Boston spends $34,835 per pupil, 55% above the Massachusetts average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Dorchester's public schools, it stands alongside Boston Latin Academy (1,693 students): Carter School is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Boston also operates Boston Latin School (2,424 students) and Boston Latin Academy (1,693 students) alongside Carter School.
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 Carter School compares
Carter School on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | 28 | top 99% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
28
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Engagement
39.3%
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
$34,835
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
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
African American 50.0%
Hispanic or Latino 39.3%
White 10.7%
Largest group: African American at 50.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.4, Carter School is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Boston, which includes Carter School.
$34,835
Per student
+55%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+110%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.0%
State 25.9%
Federal 12.1%
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 Carter School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Latin School | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| Boston Latin Academy | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| O'bryant School of Math & Science | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| East Boston High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| Madison Park Technical Vocational High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Carter School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,424
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,693
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,509
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,252
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,121
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar other schools in Dorchester
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Boston Latin Academy
Standard public school
1,693 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Murphy K-8 School
Standard public school
855 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Techboston Academy
Standard public school
850 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Neighborhood House Charter School
Standard public school
786 students 10.3:1 students per teacher
Boston Collegiate Charter School
Standard public school
708 students 9.4:1 students per teacher
Up Academy Holland
Standard public school
641 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Carter School's federal record.
- Compare Carter School against another school. Compare schools
- Boston'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 Carter School
How many students attend Carter School?
Carter School has 28 students enrolled. It is a public school in Dorchester, MA.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carter School?
The largest demographic group at Carter School is African American at 50.0% of enrollment, in Dorchester, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carter School?
Carter School has a Resource Investment Index of 16/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Carter School rank among schools in Dorchester?
By Resource Investment Index, Carter School ranks #26 of 26 schools in Dorchester, MA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Dorchester on the city page.
Is Carter School a good school?
Carter School earns 16/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the smallest schools in Massachusetts. 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 Boston?
Besides Carter School, Boston also operates Boston Latin School (2,424 students), Boston Latin Academy (1,693 students), and O'bryant School of Math & Science (1,509 students). See the Boston 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.