Enrollment
271
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Westwood, MA
Downey
Federal NCES profile for Downey, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 251281002096
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 77
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Downey earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Massachusetts schools.
- #2 of 8
- public schools in Westwood · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.4:1
- small classes for Massachusetts
- 271
- students enrolled
Downey has class sizes smaller than 75% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Downey ranks #2 of 8 public schools in Westwood, MA.
School address
District: Westwood · Massachusetts
NCES ID 251281002096 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Downey compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Downey
Downey is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Westwood, Massachusetts, enrolling 271 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 271 puts it in the smaller third of Massachusetts schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 1,831 Massachusetts schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and Asian (22%) (diversity index 52/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Westwood's public schools, it stands alongside Westwood Integrated Preschool (44 students): Downey is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.4:1 vs 14.7:1).
Westwood also operates Westwood High (837 students) and E W Thurston Middle (664 students) alongside Downey.
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 Downey compares
Downey on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.4:1 | ▼ 15% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 271 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.4:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
271
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10.4:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 25% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
9.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$24,589
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
White 65.3%
Asian 21.8%
Two or More 6.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.5%
African American 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 65.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.9, Downey is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Westwood, which includes Downey.
$24,589
Per student
+9%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+48%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.1%
State 23.7%
Federal 2.2%
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 Downey Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westwood High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| E W Thurston Middle | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| William E Sheehan | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Martha Jones | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Paul Hanlon | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Downey's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 837
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 664
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 278
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 275
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 230
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
Similar other schools in Westwood
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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.
Similar enrollment (~271 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Downey's federal record.
- Compare Downey against another school. Compare schools
- Westwood'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 Downey
How many students attend Downey?
Downey has 271 students enrolled. It is a public school in Westwood, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Downey?
The student-teacher ratio at Downey is 10.4:1, which is 15% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 34% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Downey?
The largest demographic group at Downey is White at 65.3% of enrollment, in Westwood, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Downey?
Downey has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Downey rank among public schools in Westwood?
By Resource Investment Index, Downey ranks #2 of 8 public schools in Westwood, 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 Westwood on the city page.
Is Downey a good school?
Downey earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% 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 Westwood?
Besides Downey, Westwood also operates Westwood High (837 students), E W Thurston Middle (664 students), and William E Sheehan (278 students). See the Westwood 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.