Enrollment
422
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 251218002002
James Russell Lowell — Watertown, MA
Federal NCES profile for James Russell Lowell, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 65
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 16
📋 Attendance 68
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Watertown · Massachusetts
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.7:1
vs 12.1:1 Massachusetts avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How James Russell Lowell compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
James Russell Lowell reports 422 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% below the Massachusetts state mean of 12.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 45% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 422 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Watertown spends $68,134 per pupil district-wide, above the Massachusetts average of $28,509 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 77.0% from local sources (property taxes), 18.0% from the state, and 5.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How James Russell Lowell compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Massachusetts state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.7:1 | ▼ 28% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 422 | top 52% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
8.7:1
students per teacher
— 28% below state mean
Top 7% in Massachusetts — lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
12.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$68,134
per pupil, district-wide
— above Massachusetts avg of $28,509
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 422 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 422 Top 52% in Massachusetts — larger than 48% of 1,831 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 8.7:1 -28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 251218002002
Student demographics
White 54.5%
Hispanic or Latino 21.8%
Asian 12.8%
Two or More 8.3%
African American 2.6%
Largest group: White at 54.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 422:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Watertown, which includes James Russell Lowell.
$68,134
Per student
+139%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $28,509
+250%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 77.0%
State 18.0%
Federal 5.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 761
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Enrollment
- 758
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Enrollment
- 583
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Enrollment
- 320
- Students per teacher
- 9.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Watertown
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about James Russell Lowell
How many students attend James Russell Lowell?
James Russell Lowell has 422 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Watertown, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James Russell Lowell?
The student-teacher ratio at James Russell Lowell is 8.7:1, which is 28% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.1:1 and 45% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of James Russell Lowell?
The largest demographic group at James Russell Lowell is White at 54.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Watertown, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for James Russell Lowell?
James Russell Lowell has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.