Enrollment
431
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Acton, MA
Mccarthy-Towne School
Federal NCES profile for Mccarthy-Towne School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250171000010
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mccarthy-Towne School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median.
- #3 of 5
- elementary schools in Acton · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 431
- students enrolled
Mccarthy-Towne School has class sizes near the Massachusetts median. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mccarthy-Towne School ranks #3 of 5 elementary schools in Acton, MA.
School address
District: Acton-Boxborough · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250171000010 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mccarthy-Towne School compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mccarthy-Towne School
Mccarthy-Towne School is a mid-sized elementary school in Acton, Massachusetts, enrolling 431 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 12.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 431 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 (66%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 431 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
12.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Acton's elementary schools, it stands alongside Luther Conant School (410 students): Mccarthy-Towne School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.7:1 vs 13.7:1).
Acton-Boxborough also operates Acton-Boxborough Regional High (1,622 students) and Raymond J Grey Junior High (824 students) alongside Mccarthy-Towne 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 Mccarthy-Towne School compares
Mccarthy-Towne 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 | 12.7:1 | ▲ 3% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 431 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
431
Bigger than 52% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 64% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
12.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$19,794
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 431 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 66.4%
Hispanic or Latino 14.4%
Asian 9.3%
Two or More 5.8%
African American 4.2%
Largest group: White at 66.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.5, Mccarthy-Towne School is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Acton-Boxborough, which includes Mccarthy-Towne School.
$19,794
Per student
-12%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.0%
State 33.3%
Federal 4.8%
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 Mccarthy-Towne School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acton-Boxborough Regional High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Raymond J Grey Junior High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Blanchard Memorial School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Luther Conant School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| C.T. Douglas Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mccarthy-Towne School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,622
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 824
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 469
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 408
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar elementary schools in Acton
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Luther Conant School
Standard public school
410 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
C.T. Douglas Elementary School
Standard public school
408 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Merriam School
Standard public school
395 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
Paul P Gates Elementary School
Standard public school
380 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
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 (~431 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mccarthy-Towne School's federal record.
- Compare Mccarthy-Towne School against another school. Compare schools
- Acton-Boxborough'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 Mccarthy-Towne School
How many students attend Mccarthy-Towne School?
Mccarthy-Towne School has 431 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Acton, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mccarthy-Towne School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mccarthy-Towne School is 12.7:1, which is 3% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 19% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mccarthy-Towne School?
The largest demographic group at Mccarthy-Towne School is White at 66.4% of enrollment, in Acton, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mccarthy-Towne School?
Mccarthy-Towne School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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).
How does Mccarthy-Towne School rank among elementary schools in Acton?
By Resource Investment Index, Mccarthy-Towne School ranks #3 of 5 elementary schools in Acton, 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 Acton on the city page.
Is Mccarthy-Towne School a good school?
Mccarthy-Towne School earns 41/100 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 Acton-Boxborough?
Besides Mccarthy-Towne School, Acton-Boxborough also operates Acton-Boxborough Regional High (1,622 students), Raymond J Grey Junior High (824 students), and Blanchard Memorial School (469 students). See the Acton-Boxborough 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.