Enrollment
217
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Gloucester, MA
Plum Cove School
Federal NCES profile for Plum Cove School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250528000877
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Plum Cove School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Massachusetts schools.
- #1 of 5
- elementary schools in Gloucester · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.6:1
- large classes for Massachusetts
- 217
- students enrolled
Plum Cove School has class sizes larger than 75% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Plum Cove School ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Gloucester, MA.
School address
District: Gloucester · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250528000877 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
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 Plum Cove School compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Plum Cove School
Plum Cove School is a mid-sized elementary school in Gloucester, Massachusetts, enrolling 217 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 217 puts it in the smaller third of Massachusetts schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 192 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Gloucester's elementary schools, it stands alongside West Parish (382 students): Plum Cove School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.6:1 vs 13.2:1).
Gloucester also operates Gloucester High (776 students) and Ralph B O'maley Middle (619 students) alongside Plum Cove 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 Plum Cove School compares
Plum Cove 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 | 217 | top 84% | - | - |
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.
217
Bigger than 21% 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
18.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$22,410
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors1.1 FTE
Per 192 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 84.8%
Two or More 6.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.0%
African American 1.8%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: White at 84.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.3, Plum Cove School is less mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gloucester, which includes Plum Cove School.
$22,410
Per student
0%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 69.5%
State 21.9%
Federal 8.6%
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.
How Plum Cove School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gloucester High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ralph B O'maley Middle | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| West Parish | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Beeman Memorial | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Veterans Memorial | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Plum Cove School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 776
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 619
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 382
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 292
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 216
- Students per teacher
- 8.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar elementary schools in Gloucester
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
West Parish
Standard public school
382 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Beeman Memorial
Standard public school
292 students 9.4:1 students per teacher
Veterans Memorial
Standard public school
216 students 8.6:1 students per teacher
East Gloucester Elementary
Standard public school
181 students 9.5:1 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 (~217 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Plum Cove School's federal record.
- Compare Plum Cove School against another school. Compare schools
- Gloucester'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 Plum Cove School
How many students attend Plum Cove School?
Plum Cove School has 217 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Gloucester, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Plum Cove School?
The student-teacher ratio at Plum Cove 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 Plum Cove School?
The largest demographic group at Plum Cove School is White at 84.8% of enrollment, in Gloucester, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Plum Cove School?
Plum Cove School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Plum Cove School rank among elementary schools in Gloucester?
By Resource Investment Index, Plum Cove School ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Gloucester, 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 Gloucester on the city page.
Is Plum Cove School a good school?
Plum Cove School earns 47/100 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 Gloucester?
Besides Plum Cove School, Gloucester also operates Gloucester High (776 students), Ralph B O'maley Middle (619 students), and West Parish (382 students). See the Gloucester 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.