Enrollment
186
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Newton Centre, MA
John Ward
Federal NCES profile for John Ward, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250861001369
👥 S:T ratio 63
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 84
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
John Ward earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Massachusetts schools.
- #1 of 4
- elementary schools in Newton Centre · Resource Index
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.3:1
- small classes for Massachusetts
- 186
- students enrolled
John Ward has class sizes smaller than 87% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, John Ward ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Newton Centre, MA.
School address
District: Newton · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250861001369 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
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 John Ward compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at John Ward
John Ward is a small elementary school in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, enrolling 186 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.3:1, John Ward 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.
Enrollment of 186 puts it in the smaller third of Massachusetts schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 1,831 Massachusetts schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (61%) and Asian (19%) (diversity index 57/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Newton Centre's elementary schools, it stands alongside Memorial Spaulding (342 students): John Ward is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.3:1 vs 9.8:1).
Newton also operates Newton North High (2,096 students) and Newton South High (1,898 students) alongside John Ward.
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 Ward compares
John Ward 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 | 186 | top 88% | - | - |
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.
186
Bigger than 18% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
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
6.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$26,734
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 61.3%
Asian 18.8%
Two or More 12.9%
Hispanic or Latino 7.0%
Largest group: White at 61.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.7, John Ward is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Newton, which includes John Ward.
$26,734
Per student
+19%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+61%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 73.7%
State 20.8%
Federal 5.5%
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 Ward Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newton North High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Newton South High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| F a Day Middle | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Charles E Brown Middle | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oak Hill Middle | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to John Ward's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,096
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 1,898
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 860
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 713
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 649
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
Similar elementary schools in Newton Centre
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 (~186 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on John Ward's federal record.
- Compare John Ward against another school. Compare schools
- Newton'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 Ward
How many students attend John Ward?
John Ward has 186 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Newton Centre, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John Ward?
The student-teacher ratio at John Ward 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 John Ward?
The largest demographic group at John Ward is White at 61.3% of enrollment, in Newton Centre, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for John Ward?
John Ward has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does John Ward rank among elementary schools in Newton Centre?
By Resource Investment Index, John Ward ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Newton Centre, 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 Newton Centre on the city page.
Is John Ward a good school?
John Ward earns 59/100 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 Newton?
Besides John Ward, Newton also operates Newton North High (2,096 students), Newton South High (1,898 students), and F a Day Middle (860 students). See the Newton 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.