Enrollment
770
Rhode Island · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Pawtucket, RI
Charles E. Shea High School
Federal NCES profile for Charles E. Shea High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 440084000201
👥 S:T ratio 52
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Charles E. Shea High School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Rhode Island median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Rhode Island schools.
- #3 of 4
- high schools in Pawtucket · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12:1
- students per teacher
- 51.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Charles E. Shea High School has class sizes near the Rhode Island median. Computed live against every Rhode Island school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Charles E. Shea High School ranks #3 of 4 high schools in Pawtucket, RI.
School address
District: Pawtucket · Rhode Island
NCES ID 440084000201 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
64.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 13.8:1 Rhode Island avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.5%
vs 39.6% Rhode Island avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Charles E. Shea High School compares with Rhode Island and U.S. medians
What stands out at Charles E. Shea High School
Charles E. Shea High School is a higher-need, large high school in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, enrolling 770 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12:1 puts it in the smaller third of Rhode Island schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 51.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 770 puts it in the larger third of Rhode Island schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 308 scored Rhode Island schools.
Against 22 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #9.
Its student body is led by African American (39%) and Hispanic or Latino (36%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 257 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 71.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Pawtucket's high schools, it stands alongside William E. Tolman High (995 students): Charles E. Shea High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12:1 vs 13.4:1).
Pawtucket also operates William E. Tolman High (995 students) and Joseph Jenks Middle School (697 students) alongside Charles E. Shea High 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 Charles E. Shea High School compares
Charles E. Shea High School on the metrics families compare, against Rhode Island and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Rhode Island | Rhode Island avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12:1 | ▼ 13% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.5% | ▲ 30% | 39.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 770 | top 11% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
770
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% above the Rhode Island average of 39.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 32% in Rhode Island - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
71.8%
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
$17,139
per pupil, district-wide
- below Rhode Island avg of $20,315
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 257 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 58 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.5 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 38.9%
Hispanic or Latino 35.9%
White 17.2%
Two or More 6.2%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 38.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.6, Charles E. Shea High School is more mixed than the Rhode Island school average of 47.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pawtucket, which includes Charles E. Shea High School.
$17,139
Per student
-16%
vs Rhode Island
Avg $20,315
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.0%
State 63.7%
Federal 16.2%
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 Charles E. Shea High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| William E. Tolman High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Joseph Jenks Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lyman B. Goff Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Samuel Slater Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Henry J. Winters School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Charles E. Shea High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 995
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 697
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 637
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 590
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 550
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar high schools in Pawtucket
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Rhode Island, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~770 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Charles E. Shea High School's federal record.
- Compare Charles E. Shea High School against another school. Compare schools
- Pawtucket'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 Charles E. Shea High School
How many students attend Charles E. Shea High School?
Charles E. Shea High School has 770 students enrolled. It is a high school in Pawtucket, RI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Charles E. Shea High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Charles E. Shea High School is 12:1, which is 13% lower than the Rhode Island average of 13.8:1 and 24% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Charles E. Shea High School?
51.5% of students at Charles E. Shea High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Rhode Island average of 39.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Charles E. Shea High School?
The largest demographic group at Charles E. Shea High School is African American at 38.9% of enrollment, in Pawtucket, RI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Charles E. Shea High School?
Charles E. Shea High School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Charles E. Shea High School rank among high schools in Pawtucket?
By Resource Investment Index, Charles E. Shea High School ranks #3 of 4 high schools in Pawtucket, RI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Pawtucket on the city page.
Is Charles E. Shea High School a good school?
Charles E. Shea High School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Rhode Island median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Rhode Island 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 Pawtucket?
Besides Charles E. Shea High School, Pawtucket also operates William E. Tolman High (995 students), Joseph Jenks Middle School (697 students), and Lyman B. Goff Middle School (637 students). See the Pawtucket 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.