Enrollment
299
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · New Bedford, MA
James B Congdon
Federal NCES profile for James B Congdon, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250843001329
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 81
📋 Attendance 20
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
James B Congdon earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Massachusetts schools.
- #1 of 8
- elementary schools in New Bedford · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.1:1
- students per teacher
- 299
- students enrolled
James B Congdon has class sizes near the Massachusetts median. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, James B Congdon ranks #1 of 8 elementary schools in New Bedford, MA.
School address
District: New Bedford · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250843001329 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.1:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How James B Congdon compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at James B Congdon
James B Congdon is a mid-sized elementary school in New Bedford, Massachusetts, enrolling 299 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 299 puts it in the smaller third of Massachusetts schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (39%) and White (34%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 93 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among New Bedford's elementary schools, it stands alongside Alma Del Mar Charter School (1,042 students): James B Congdon is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.1:1 vs 13.2:1).
New Bedford also operates New Bedford High (2,878 students) and Normandin Middle School (990 students) alongside James B Congdon.
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 James B Congdon compares
James B Congdon on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.1:1 | ▼ 10% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 299 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.1:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
299
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.1:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 36% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
32.1%
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
$19,918
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
Counselors3.2 FTE
Per 93 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 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 38.5%
White 34.1%
African American 20.4%
Two or More 6.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 38.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.0, James B Congdon is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for New Bedford, which includes James B Congdon.
$19,918
Per student
-11%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.9%
State 82.7%
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 James B Congdon Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Bedford High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Normandin Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Keith Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Roosevelt Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hayden/Mcfadden | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to James B Congdon's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,878
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 990
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 949
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 759
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 748
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar elementary schools in New Bedford
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Alma Del Mar Charter School
Standard public school
1,042 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Abraham Lincoln
Standard public school
687 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
John B Devalles
Standard public school
292 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
Charles S Ashley
Standard public school
272 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Elizabeth Carter Brooks
Standard public school
261 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Betsey B Winslow
Standard public school
227 students 12.6:1 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 (~299 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on James B Congdon's federal record.
- Compare James B Congdon against another school. Compare schools
- New Bedford'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 James B Congdon
How many students attend James B Congdon?
James B Congdon has 299 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in New Bedford, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James B Congdon?
The student-teacher ratio at James B Congdon is 11.1:1, which is 10% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 29% 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 James B Congdon?
The largest demographic group at James B Congdon is Hispanic or Latino at 38.5% of enrollment, in New Bedford, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for James B Congdon?
James B Congdon has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 James B Congdon rank among elementary schools in New Bedford?
By Resource Investment Index, James B Congdon ranks #1 of 8 elementary schools in New Bedford, 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 New Bedford on the city page.
Is James B Congdon a good school?
James B Congdon earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median. It is also more 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 New Bedford?
Besides James B Congdon, New Bedford also operates New Bedford High (2,878 students), Normandin Middle School (990 students), and Keith Middle School (949 students). See the New Bedford 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.