Enrollment
623
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 251077002496
Major Howard W. Beal School — Shrewsbury, MA
Federal NCES profile for Major Howard W. Beal School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 60
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: Shrewsbury · 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)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 12.1:1 Massachusetts avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Major Howard W. Beal 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
Major Howard W. Beal School reports 623 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 43.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% above the Massachusetts state mean of 12.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 623 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Shrewsbury spends $24,389 per pupil district-wide, below the Massachusetts average of $28,509 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 59.4% from local sources (property taxes), 35.9% from the state, and 4.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), 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 Major Howard W. Beal 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 | 14.2:1 | ▲ 17% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 623 | top 77% | — | — |
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
14.2:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 84% in Massachusetts — lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.1%
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
$24,389
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 623 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 623 Top 77% in Massachusetts — larger than 23% of 1,831 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 43.0
Students per teacher 14.2:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 251077002496
Student demographics
White 37.7%
Asian 36.9%
Hispanic or Latino 13.6%
Two or More 6.1%
African American 4.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 37.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 623:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.1%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Shrewsbury, which includes Major Howard W. Beal School.
$24,389
Per student
-14%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $28,509
+25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 59.4%
State 35.9%
Federal 4.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,891
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 951
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 914
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 524
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 304
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
Similar elementary schools in Shrewsbury
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Sherwood Middle School
Standard public school
951 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Floral Street School
Standard public school
524 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Spring Street School
Standard public school
304 students 14:1 students per teacher
Calvin Coolidge School
Standard public school
287 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
Walter J. Paton School
Standard public school
269 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
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 Major Howard W. Beal School
How many students attend Major Howard W. Beal School?
Major Howard W. Beal School has 623 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Shrewsbury, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Major Howard W. Beal School?
The student-teacher ratio at Major Howard W. Beal School is 14.2:1, which is 17% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.1:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Major Howard W. Beal School?
The largest demographic group at Major Howard W. Beal School is White at 37.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Shrewsbury, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Major Howard W. Beal School?
Major Howard W. Beal School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) 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.