Enrollment
397
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Needham, MA
John Eliot
Federal NCES profile for John Eliot, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250837001314
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
John Eliot earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median.
- #2 of 4
- elementary schools in Needham · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.7:1
- students per teacher
- 397
- students enrolled
John Eliot has class sizes near the Massachusetts median. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, John Eliot ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Needham, MA.
School address
District: Needham · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250837001314 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.7:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How John Eliot compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at John Eliot
John Eliot is a mid-sized elementary school in Needham, Massachusetts, enrolling 397 students.
At 11.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Massachusetts median, within a few percentage points of the 12.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
With 397 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 White (56%) and Asian (21%) (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 284 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
12.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Needham's elementary schools, it stands alongside Sunita L. Williams Elementary (533 students): John Eliot is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.7:1 vs 13.7:1).
Needham also operates Needham High (1,633 students) and Pollard Middle (867 students) alongside John Eliot.
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 John Eliot compares
John Eliot on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.7:1 | ▼ 5% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 397 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.7:1
Leaner classes than 78% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
397
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.7:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 47% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
12.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$23,810
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
Counselors1.4 FTE
Per 284 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
- 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 55.7%
Asian 21.2%
Two or More 9.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.8%
African American 5.3%
Largest group: White at 55.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.6, John Eliot is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Needham, which includes John Eliot.
$23,810
Per student
+6%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 75.6%
State 20.3%
Federal 4.1%
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 John Eliot Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needham High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pollard Middle | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Newman Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sunita L. Williams Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Broadmeadow | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to John Eliot's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,633
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 867
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 696
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 533
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar elementary schools in Needham
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~397 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on John Eliot's federal record.
- Compare John Eliot against another school. Compare schools
- Needham'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 John Eliot
How many students attend John Eliot?
John Eliot has 397 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Needham, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John Eliot?
The student-teacher ratio at John Eliot is 11.7:1, which is 5% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 25% 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 John Eliot?
The largest demographic group at John Eliot is White at 55.7% of enrollment, in Needham, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for John Eliot?
John Eliot has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 John Eliot rank among elementary schools in Needham?
By Resource Investment Index, John Eliot ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Needham, 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 Needham on the city page.
Is John Eliot a good school?
John Eliot earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median. 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 Needham?
Besides John Eliot, Needham also operates Needham High (1,633 students), Pollard Middle (867 students), and Newman Elementary (696 students). See the Needham 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.