Enrollment
487
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Holden, MA
Dawson
Federal NCES profile for Dawson, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 251188000884
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dawson earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Massachusetts schools.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Holden · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.2:1
- large classes for Massachusetts
- 487
- students enrolled
Dawson has class sizes larger than 88% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dawson ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Holden, MA.
School address
District: Wachusett · Massachusetts
NCES ID 251188000884 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dawson compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dawson
Dawson is a mid-sized elementary school in Holden, Massachusetts, enrolling 487 students.
Class loads run heavy: 15.2:1 is larger than about 88% of Massachusetts schools and 24% above the 12.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
With 487 students, its enrollment sits close to the Massachusetts median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Hispanic or Latino (8%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 974 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
15.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Wachusett spends $17,517 per pupil, 22% below the Massachusetts average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Holden's elementary schools, it stands alongside Leroy E.Mayo (472 students): Dawson is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.2:1 vs 15.2:1).
Wachusett also operates Wachusett Regional High (1,779 students) and Mountview Middle (773 students) alongside Dawson.
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 Dawson compares
Dawson on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.2:1 | ▲ 24% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 487 | top 38% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
487
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 24% above state mean
Top 88% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
15.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$17,517
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 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 79.3%
Hispanic or Latino 8.4%
Two or More 5.1%
Asian 4.1%
African American 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 79.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 35.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.9, Dawson is less mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wachusett, which includes Dawson.
$17,517
Per student
-22%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.4%
State 37.2%
Federal 6.4%
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 Dawson Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wachusett Regional High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mountview Middle | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Leroy E.Mayo | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Paxton Center | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Davis Hill Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dawson's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,779
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 773
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 472
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 448
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 431
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar elementary schools in Holden
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~487 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dawson's federal record.
- Compare Dawson against another school. Compare schools
- Wachusett'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 Dawson
How many students attend Dawson?
Dawson has 487 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Holden, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dawson?
The student-teacher ratio at Dawson is 15.2:1, which is 24% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dawson?
The largest demographic group at Dawson is White at 79.3% of enrollment, in Holden, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dawson?
Dawson has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Dawson rank among elementary schools in Holden?
By Resource Investment Index, Dawson ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Holden, 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 Holden on the city page.
Is Dawson a good school?
Dawson earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% 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 Wachusett?
Besides Dawson, Wachusett also operates Wachusett Regional High (1,779 students), Mountview Middle (773 students), and Leroy E.Mayo (472 students). See the Wachusett 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.