Enrollment
494
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Orange, MA
Dexter Park
Federal NCES profile for Dexter Park, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250918001475
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 92
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dexter Park earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Massachusetts schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Orange · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 26:1
- large classes for Massachusetts
- 494
- students enrolled
Dexter Park has class sizes larger than 99% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dexter Park ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Orange, MA.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+111% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dexter Park compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dexter Park
Dexter Park is a mid-sized elementary school in Orange, Massachusetts, enrolling 494 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26:1 is larger than about 99% of Massachusetts schools and 111% above the 12.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
With 494 students, its enrollment sits close to the Massachusetts median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 247 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 3.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Orange spends $17,871 per pupil, 20% below the Massachusetts average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Orange, also runs Fisher Hill (230 students).
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 Dexter Park compares
Dexter Park on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 26:1 | ▲ 111% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 494 | top 37% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
494
Bigger than 61% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
26:1
students per teacher
- 111% above state mean
Top 99% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
3.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$17,871
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 247 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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 80.4%
Hispanic or Latino 11.7%
Two or More 5.1%
Asian 1.4%
African American 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 80.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.7, Dexter Park is less mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orange, which includes Dexter Park.
$17,871
Per student
-20%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.0%
State 83.6%
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 Dexter Park Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fisher Hill | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dexter Park's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 230
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
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 (~494 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~26:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dexter Park's federal record.
- Compare Dexter Park against another school. Compare schools
- Orange'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 Dexter Park
How many students attend Dexter Park?
Dexter Park has 494 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Orange, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dexter Park?
The student-teacher ratio at Dexter Park is 26:1, which is 111% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 66% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dexter Park?
The largest demographic group at Dexter Park is White at 80.4% of enrollment, in Orange, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dexter Park?
Dexter Park has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Dexter Park rank among public schools in Orange?
By Resource Investment Index, Dexter Park ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Orange, MA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Orange on the city page.
Is Dexter Park a good school?
Dexter Park earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% 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 Orange?
Besides Dexter Park, Orange also operates Fisher Hill (230 students). See the Orange 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.