Enrollment
525
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Lawrence, MA
Francis M Leahy
Federal NCES profile for Francis M Leahy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250666000956
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 6
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Francis M Leahy earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Massachusetts schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Massachusetts schools.
- #7 of 14
- elementary schools in Lawrence · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.5:1
- large classes for Massachusetts
- 525
- students enrolled
Francis M Leahy has class sizes larger than 74% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Francis M Leahy ranks #7 of 14 elementary schools in Lawrence, MA.
School address
District: Lawrence · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250666000956 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Francis M Leahy compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Francis M Leahy
Francis M Leahy is a mid-sized elementary school in Lawrence, Massachusetts, enrolling 525 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 525 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 263 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Lawrence's elementary schools, it stands alongside South Lawrence East Elementary School (666 students): Francis M Leahy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.5:1 vs 13.1:1).
Lawrence also operates Lawrence High School (3,453 students) and South Lawrence East Elementary School (666 students) alongside Francis M Leahy.
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 Francis M Leahy compares
Francis M Leahy on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.5:1 | ▲ 10% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 525 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
525
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 74% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
37.5%
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
$20,985
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 263 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 97.0%
White 1.3%
African American 1.3%
Asian 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.9, Francis M Leahy is less mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lawrence, which includes Francis M Leahy.
$20,985
Per student
-7%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.7%
State 86.0%
Federal 12.3%
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 Francis M Leahy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Lawrence East Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Edward F. Parthum | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Parthum Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Robert Frost | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Francis M Leahy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,453
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 666
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 656
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 585
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 568
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar elementary schools in Lawrence
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
South Lawrence East Elementary School
Standard public school
666 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Edward F. Parthum
Standard public school
656 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Parthum Middle School
Standard public school
585 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Robert Frost
Standard public school
568 students 12.1:1 students per teacher
Arlington Middle School
Standard public school
543 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Frost Middle School
Standard public school
508 students 14.1:1 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 (~525 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Francis M Leahy's federal record.
- Compare Francis M Leahy against another school. Compare schools
- Lawrence'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 Francis M Leahy
How many students attend Francis M Leahy?
Francis M Leahy has 525 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Lawrence, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Francis M Leahy?
The student-teacher ratio at Francis M Leahy is 13.5:1, which is 10% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Francis M Leahy?
The largest demographic group at Francis M Leahy is Hispanic or Latino at 97.0% of enrollment, in Lawrence, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Francis M Leahy?
Francis M Leahy has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Francis M Leahy rank among elementary schools in Lawrence?
By Resource Investment Index, Francis M Leahy ranks #7 of 14 elementary schools in Lawrence, 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 Lawrence on the city page.
Is Francis M Leahy a good school?
Francis M Leahy earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Massachusetts schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Lawrence?
Besides Francis M Leahy, Lawrence also operates Lawrence High School (3,453 students), South Lawrence East Elementary School (666 students), and Edward F. Parthum (656 students). See the Lawrence 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.