Enrollment
916
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Dracut, MA
Justus C. Richardson Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Justus C. Richardson Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 250432001625
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 39
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Justus C. Richardson Middle School earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of Massachusetts schools.
- #5 of 6
- public schools in Dracut · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.8:1
- large classes for Massachusetts
- 916
- students enrolled
Justus C. Richardson Middle School has class sizes larger than 91% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Justus C. Richardson Middle School ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Dracut, MA.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
58.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Justus C. Richardson Middle School compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Justus C. Richardson Middle School
Justus C. Richardson Middle School is a large middle school in Dracut, Massachusetts, enrolling 916 students.
Class loads run heavy: 15.8:1 is larger than about 91% of Massachusetts schools and 28% above the 12.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Massachusetts, bigger than 90% of state schools at 916 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 1,831 Massachusetts schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (63%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 458 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Dracut spends $14,475 per pupil, 36% below the Massachusetts average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Dracut also operates Dracut Senior High (792 students) and Joseph a Campbell Elementary (565 students) alongside Justus C. Richardson Middle 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 Justus C. Richardson Middle School compares
Justus C. Richardson Middle 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 | 15.8:1 | ▲ 28% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 916 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
916
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 28% above state mean
Top 91% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
24.3%
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
$14,475
per pupil, district-wide
- below Massachusetts avg of $22,458
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 458 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
32
in-school suspensions + 63 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.4 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 63.4%
Hispanic or Latino 15.7%
Asian 12.0%
African American 7.1%
Two or More 1.7%
Largest group: White at 63.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.4, Justus C. Richardson Middle School is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dracut, which includes Justus C. Richardson Middle School.
$14,475
Per student
-36%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.3%
State 55.1%
Federal 10.6%
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 Justus C. Richardson Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dracut Senior High | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Joseph a Campbell Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| George H. Englesby Elementary School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Brookside Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Greenmont Avenue | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Justus C. Richardson Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 792
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 565
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 520
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 487
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 211
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar middle 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 (~916 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Justus C. Richardson Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Justus C. Richardson Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Dracut'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 Justus C. Richardson Middle School
How many students attend Justus C. Richardson Middle School?
Justus C. Richardson Middle School has 916 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Dracut, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Justus C. Richardson Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Justus C. Richardson Middle School is 15.8:1, which is 28% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Justus C. Richardson Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Justus C. Richardson Middle School is White at 63.4% of enrollment, in Dracut, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Justus C. Richardson Middle School?
Justus C. Richardson Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower 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 Justus C. Richardson Middle School rank among public schools in Dracut?
By Resource Investment Index, Justus C. Richardson Middle School ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Dracut, MA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Dracut on the city page.
Is Justus C. Richardson Middle School a good school?
Justus C. Richardson Middle School earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% 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 Dracut?
Besides Justus C. Richardson Middle School, Dracut also operates Dracut Senior High (792 students), Joseph a Campbell Elementary (565 students), and George H. Englesby Elementary School (520 students). See the Dracut 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.