Enrollment
357
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 250054202731
Lura a. White Elementary School — Shirley, MA
Federal NCES profile for Lura a. White Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 57
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: Ayer Shirley School District · 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.1:1
vs 12.1:1 Massachusetts avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lura a. White Elementary School 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
Lura a. White Elementary School reports 357 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% 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 30% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 357 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ayer Shirley School District spends $23,801 per pupil district-wide, below the Massachusetts average of $28,509 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 55.6% from local sources (property taxes), 32.5% from the state, and 11.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Lura a. White Elementary School 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 | 11.1:1 | ▼ 8% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 357 | top 39% | — | — |
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
11.1:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 36% in Massachusetts — lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
17.1%
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
$23,801
per pupil, district-wide
— below 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 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
Enrollment 357 Top 39% in Massachusetts — larger than 61% of 1,831 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 11.1:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 250054202731
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 357:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.1%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ayer Shirley School District, which includes Lura a. White Elementary School.
$23,801
Per student
-17%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $28,509
+22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 539
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Enrollment
- 417
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
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 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 a 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 11.1:1, which is 8% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.1:1 and 30% 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 Lura a. White Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Lura a. White Elementary School is White at 73.1%. The school serves a diverse student body 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 43/100 (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.