Enrollment
1,633
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Needham, MA
Needham High
Federal NCES profile for Needham High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 250837001315
👥 S:T ratio 50
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 78
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Needham High earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median. It is also one of the largest schools in Massachusetts.
- #8 of 8
- public schools in Needham · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.5:1
- students per teacher
- 1,633
- students enrolled
Needham High has class sizes near the Massachusetts median. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Needham High ranks #8 of 8 public schools in Needham, MA.
School address
District: Needham · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250837001315 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
131.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Needham High compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Needham High
Needham High is a large high school in Needham, Massachusetts, enrolling 1,633 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 12.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Massachusetts, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,633 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Asian (10%) (diversity index 42/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 16 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 109 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Needham also operates Pollard Middle (867 students) and Newman Elementary (696 students) alongside Needham High.
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 Needham High compares
Needham High on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.5:1 | ▲ 2% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,633 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,633
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 61% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
32.9%
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
$23,810
per pupil, district-wide
- above Massachusetts avg of $22,458
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors15.0 FTE
Per 109 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 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 74.8%
Asian 9.5%
Hispanic or Latino 8.2%
Two or More 4.9%
African American 2.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 74.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.2, Needham High is less mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Needham, which includes Needham High.
$23,810
Per student
+6%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 75.6%
State 20.3%
Federal 4.1%
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 Needham High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pollard Middle | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Newman Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sunita L. Williams Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Broadmeadow | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| High Rock School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Needham High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 867
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 696
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 533
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 441
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
Similar high 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 (~1,633 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Needham High's federal record.
- Compare Needham High against another school. Compare schools
- Needham'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 Needham High
How many students attend Needham High?
Needham High has 1,633 students enrolled. It is a high school in Needham, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Needham High?
The student-teacher ratio at Needham High is 12.5:1, which is 2% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 20% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Needham High?
The largest demographic group at Needham High is White at 74.8% of enrollment, in Needham, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Needham High?
Needham High has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Needham High rank among public schools in Needham?
By Resource Investment Index, Needham High ranks #8 of 8 public schools in Needham, 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 Needham on the city page.
Is Needham High a good school?
Needham High earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median. It is also one of the largest schools in Massachusetts. 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 Needham?
Besides Needham High, Needham also operates Pollard Middle (867 students), Newman Elementary (696 students), and Sunita L. Williams Elementary (533 students). See the Needham 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.