Enrollment
372
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Waltham, MA
Henry Whittemore Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Henry Whittemore Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 251200001969
👥 S:T ratio 63
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Henry Whittemore Elementary School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Massachusetts schools.
- #4 of 5
- elementary schools in Waltham · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.3:1
- small classes for Massachusetts
- 372
- students enrolled
Henry Whittemore Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 87% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Henry Whittemore Elementary School ranks #4 of 5 elementary schools in Waltham, MA.
School address
District: Waltham · Massachusetts
NCES ID 251200001969 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.3:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Henry Whittemore Elementary School compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Henry Whittemore Elementary School
Henry Whittemore Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Waltham, Massachusetts, enrolling 372 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.3:1, Henry Whittemore Elementary School is leaner than roughly 87% of Massachusetts schools and 24% under the state's 12.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
With 372 students, its enrollment sits close to the Massachusetts median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (77%) and White (11%) (diversity index 39/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 372 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Waltham's elementary schools, it stands alongside Douglas Macarthur Elementary School (475 students): Henry Whittemore Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.3:1 vs 11.6:1).
Waltham also operates Waltham Sr High (1,791 students) and John F Kennedy Middle (635 students) alongside Henry Whittemore Elementary School.
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 Henry Whittemore Elementary School compares
Henry Whittemore Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.3:1 | ▼ 24% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 372 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.3:1
Leaner classes than 92% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
372
Bigger than 43% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
9.3:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 13% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.1%
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
$26,713
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 372 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 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 77.2%
White 10.8%
African American 4.8%
Asian 3.8%
Two or More 3.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 77.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.7, Henry Whittemore Elementary School is less mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waltham, which includes Henry Whittemore Elementary School.
$26,713
Per student
+19%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+61%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 60.4%
State 33.3%
Federal 6.3%
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 Henry Whittemore Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waltham Sr High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| John F Kennedy Middle | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| John W. Mcdevitt Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northeast Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Douglas Macarthur Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Henry Whittemore Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,791
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 635
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 618
- Students per teacher
- 8.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 527
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 475
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar elementary schools in Waltham
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Douglas Macarthur Elementary School
Standard public school
475 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Thomas R Plympton Elementary School
Standard public school
357 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
James Fitzgerald Elementary School
Standard public school
350 students 9.5:1 students per teacher
Waltham Public Schools Dual Language Program
Standard public school
222 students 13.9:1 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 (~372 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Henry Whittemore Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Henry Whittemore Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Waltham'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 Henry Whittemore Elementary School
How many students attend Henry Whittemore Elementary School?
Henry Whittemore Elementary School has 372 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Waltham, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Henry Whittemore Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Henry Whittemore Elementary School is 9.3:1, which is 24% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 41% 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 Henry Whittemore Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Henry Whittemore Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 77.2% of enrollment, in Waltham, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Henry Whittemore Elementary School?
Henry Whittemore Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Henry Whittemore Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Waltham?
By Resource Investment Index, Henry Whittemore Elementary School ranks #4 of 5 elementary schools in Waltham, 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 Waltham on the city page.
Is Henry Whittemore Elementary School a good school?
Henry Whittemore Elementary School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% 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 Waltham?
Besides Henry Whittemore Elementary School, Waltham also operates Waltham Sr High (1,791 students), John F Kennedy Middle (635 students), and John W. Mcdevitt Middle School (618 students). See the Waltham 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.