Enrollment
272
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · New Bedford, MA
Charles S Ashley
Federal NCES profile for Charles S Ashley, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250843001321
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 79
📋 Attendance 1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Charles S Ashley earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median.
- #5 of 8
- elementary schools in New Bedford · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.4:1
- students per teacher
- 272
- students enrolled
Charles S Ashley has class sizes near the Massachusetts median. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Charles S Ashley ranks #5 of 8 elementary schools in New Bedford, MA.
School address
District: New Bedford · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250843001321 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Charles S Ashley compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Charles S Ashley
Charles S Ashley is a mid-sized elementary school in New Bedford, Massachusetts, enrolling 272 students.
At 12.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Massachusetts median, within a few percentage points of the 12.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Enrollment of 272 puts it in the smaller third of Massachusetts schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is led by White (47%) and Hispanic or Latino (34%) (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 105 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among New Bedford's elementary schools, it stands alongside Alma Del Mar Charter School (1,042 students): Charles S Ashley is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.4:1 vs 13.2:1).
New Bedford also operates New Bedford High (2,878 students) and Normandin Middle School (990 students) alongside Charles S Ashley.
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 S Ashley compares
Charles S Ashley on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.4:1 | ▲ 1% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 272 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
272
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 59% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
39.7%
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
$19,918
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
Counselors2.6 FTE
Per 105 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 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 47.1%
Hispanic or Latino 33.8%
African American 9.6%
Two or More 8.1%
Asian 1.5%
Largest group: White at 47.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.8, Charles S Ashley is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for New Bedford, which includes Charles S Ashley.
$19,918
Per student
-11%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.9%
State 82.7%
Federal 15.4%
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 S Ashley Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Bedford High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Normandin Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Keith Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Roosevelt Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hayden/Mcfadden | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Charles S Ashley's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,878
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 990
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 949
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 759
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 748
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar elementary schools in New Bedford
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Alma Del Mar Charter School
Standard public school
1,042 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Abraham Lincoln
Standard public school
687 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
James B Congdon
Standard public school
299 students 11.1:1 students per teacher
John B Devalles
Standard public school
292 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
Elizabeth Carter Brooks
Standard public school
261 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Betsey B Winslow
Standard public school
227 students 12.6:1 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 (~272 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Charles S Ashley's federal record.
- Compare Charles S Ashley against another school. Compare schools
- New Bedford'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 S Ashley
How many students attend Charles S Ashley?
Charles S Ashley has 272 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in New Bedford, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Charles S Ashley?
The student-teacher ratio at Charles S Ashley is 12.4:1, which is 1% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Charles S Ashley?
The largest demographic group at Charles S Ashley is White at 47.1% of enrollment, in New Bedford, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Charles S Ashley?
Charles S Ashley has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Charles S Ashley rank among elementary schools in New Bedford?
By Resource Investment Index, Charles S Ashley ranks #5 of 8 elementary schools in New Bedford, 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 New Bedford on the city page.
Is Charles S Ashley a good school?
Charles S Ashley earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median. 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 New Bedford?
Besides Charles S Ashley, New Bedford also operates New Bedford High (2,878 students), Normandin Middle School (990 students), and Keith Middle School (949 students). See the New Bedford 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.