Enrollment
1,898
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Newton Centre, MA
Newton South High
Federal NCES profile for Newton South High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 250861001375
👥 S:T ratio 51
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Newton South High earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median. It is also one of the largest schools in Massachusetts.
- #5 of 6
- public schools in Newton Centre · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.2:1
- students per teacher
- 1,898
- students enrolled
Newton South High has class sizes near the Massachusetts median. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Newton South High ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Newton Centre, MA.
School address
District: Newton · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250861001375 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
156.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Newton South High compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Newton South High
Newton South High is a large high school in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, enrolling 1,898 students.
At 12.2:1, 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.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Massachusetts, bigger than 99% of state schools at 1,898 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 (56%) and Asian (25%) (diversity index 61/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 21 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 380 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
17.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Newton also operates Newton North High (2,096 students) and F a Day Middle (860 students) alongside Newton South 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 Newton South High compares
Newton South 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 | 12.2:1 | ▼ 1% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,898 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,898
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 55% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
17.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$26,734
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 380 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
22
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 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 55.6%
Asian 25.2%
Hispanic or Latino 9.0%
Two or More 6.1%
African American 3.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 55.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.4, Newton South High is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 21
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Newton, which includes Newton South High.
$26,734
Per student
+19%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+61%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 73.7%
State 20.8%
Federal 5.5%
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 Newton South High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newton North High | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| F a Day Middle | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Charles E Brown Middle | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Oak Hill Middle | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bigelow Middle | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Newton South High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,096
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 860
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 713
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 649
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 434
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~1,898 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Newton South High's federal record.
- Compare Newton South High against another school. Compare schools
- Newton'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 Newton South High
How many students attend Newton South High?
Newton South High has 1,898 students enrolled. It is a high school in Newton Centre, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Newton South High?
The student-teacher ratio at Newton South High is 12.2:1, which is 1% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 22% 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 Newton South High?
The largest demographic group at Newton South High is White at 55.6% of enrollment, in Newton Centre, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Newton South High?
Newton South High has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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 Newton South High rank among public schools in Newton Centre?
By Resource Investment Index, Newton South High ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Newton Centre, 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 Newton Centre on the city page.
Is Newton South High a good school?
Newton South High earns 52/100 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 Newton?
Besides Newton South High, Newton also operates Newton North High (2,096 students), F a Day Middle (860 students), and Charles E Brown Middle (713 students). See the Newton 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.