Enrollment
380
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Acton, MA
Paul P Gates Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Paul P Gates Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250171000008
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Paul P Gates Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Massachusetts schools.
- #2 of 5
- elementary schools in Acton · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.6:1
- large classes for Massachusetts
- 380
- students enrolled
Paul P Gates Elementary School has class sizes larger than 75% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Paul P Gates Elementary School ranks #2 of 5 elementary schools in Acton, MA.
School address
District: Acton-Boxborough · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250171000008 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paul P Gates Elementary School compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Paul P Gates Elementary School
Paul P Gates Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Acton, Massachusetts, enrolling 380 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 380 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 Asian (55%) and White (29%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 380 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
12.6% 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 Mccarthy-Towne School (431 students): Paul P Gates Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.6:1 vs 12.7:1).
Acton-Boxborough also operates Acton-Boxborough Regional High (1,622 students) and Raymond J Grey Junior High (824 students) alongside Paul P Gates Elementary 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 Paul P Gates Elementary School compares
Paul P Gates Elementary 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 | 13.6:1 | ▲ 11% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 380 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
380
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 75% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
12.6%
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 380 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: 0.3 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
Asian 55.0%
White 28.7%
Two or More 7.4%
Hispanic or Latino 6.3%
African American 2.6%
Largest group: Asian at 55.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.5, Paul P Gates Elementary 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 Paul P Gates Elementary 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 Paul P Gates Elementary 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 | Lower S:T ratio |
| Blanchard Memorial School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mccarthy-Towne School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Luther Conant School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Paul P Gates Elementary 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
- 431
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar elementary schools in Acton
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Mccarthy-Towne School
Standard public school
431 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
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
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 (~380 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Paul P Gates Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Paul P Gates Elementary 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 Paul P Gates Elementary School
How many students attend Paul P Gates Elementary School?
Paul P Gates Elementary School has 380 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Acton, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paul P Gates Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Paul P Gates Elementary School is 13.6:1, which is 11% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paul P Gates Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Paul P Gates Elementary School is Asian at 55.0% of enrollment, in Acton, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paul P Gates Elementary School?
Paul P Gates Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Paul P Gates Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Acton?
By Resource Investment Index, Paul P Gates Elementary School ranks #2 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 Paul P Gates Elementary School a good school?
Paul P Gates Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Massachusetts schools. 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 Paul P Gates Elementary 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.