Enrollment
357
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Shirley, MA
Lura a. White Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Lura a. White Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250054202731
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lura a. White Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median.
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.5:1
- students per teacher
- 357
- students enrolled
Lura a. White Elementary School has class sizes near the Massachusetts median. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Ayer Shirley School District · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250054202731 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lura a. White Elementary School compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lura a. White Elementary School
Lura a. White Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Shirley, Massachusetts, enrolling 357 students.
At 11.5:1, 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 357 students, its enrollment sits close to the Massachusetts median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and Hispanic or Latino (11%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 357 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
17.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Ayer Shirley School District also operates Page Hilltop Elementary School (539 students) and Ayer Shirley Regional High School (417 students) alongside Lura a. White Elementary 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 Lura a. White Elementary School compares
Lura a. White Elementary 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 | 11.5:1 | ▼ 7% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 357 | top 61% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.5:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
357
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.5:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 43% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
17.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$19,789
per pupil, district-wide
- below Massachusetts avg of $22,458
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 357 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 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 73.1%
Hispanic or Latino 11.2%
African American 7.0%
Two or More 3.6%
Asian 3.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
Largest group: White at 73.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.5, Lura a. White Elementary School is less mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ayer Shirley School District, which includes Lura a. White Elementary School.
$19,789
Per student
-12%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.6%
State 32.5%
Federal 11.9%
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 Lura a. White Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page Hilltop Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ayer Shirley Regional High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lura a. White Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 539
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 417
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
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 (~357 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lura a. White Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Lura a. White Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Ayer Shirley School District'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 Lura a. White Elementary School
How many students attend Lura a. White Elementary School?
Lura a. White Elementary School has 357 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Shirley, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lura a. White Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lura a. White Elementary School is 11.5:1, which is 7% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 27% 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 Lura a. White Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Lura a. White Elementary School is White at 73.1% of enrollment, in Shirley, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lura a. White Elementary School?
Lura a. White Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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).
Is Lura a. White Elementary School a good school?
Lura a. White Elementary School earns 42/100 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 Ayer Shirley School District?
Besides Lura a. White Elementary School, Ayer Shirley School District also operates Page Hilltop Elementary School (539 students), Ayer Shirley Regional High School (417 students), and Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School (410 students). See the Ayer Shirley School District 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.