Enrollment
867
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 250837001308
Pollard Middle — Needham, MA
Federal NCES profile for Pollard Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 58/100.
👥 Class size 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 69
📋 Attendance 78
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Needham · Massachusetts
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
74.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.1:1
vs 12.1:1 Massachusetts avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pollard Middle compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Pollard Middle reports 867 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 74.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% below the Massachusetts state mean of 12.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 30% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 155 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 9.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Needham spends $28,303 per pupil district-wide, below the Massachusetts average of $28,509 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 75.6% from local sources (property taxes), 20.3% from the state, and 4.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (C), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Pollard Middle compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Massachusetts state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.1:1 | ▼ 8% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 867 | top 89% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
11.1:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 36% in Massachusetts — lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
9.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$28,303
per pupil, district-wide
— below Massachusetts avg of $28,509
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.6 FTE
Per 155 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 867 Top 89% in Massachusetts — larger than 11% of 1,831 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 74.0
Students per teacher 11.1:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 250837001308
Student demographics
White 72.2%
Asian 12.1%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
Two or More 5.5%
African American 3.8%
Largest group: White at 72.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 5.6
Students per counselor 155:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 9.0%
In-school suspensions 15
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Needham, which includes Pollard Middle.
$28,303
Per student
-1%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $28,509
+45%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,633
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Enrollment
- 696
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 533
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 441
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
Similar middle schools in Needham
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Pollard Middle
How many students attend Pollard Middle?
Pollard Middle has 867 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Needham, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pollard Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Pollard Middle is 11.1:1, which is 8% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.1:1 and 30% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pollard Middle?
The largest demographic group at Pollard Middle is White at 72.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Needham, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pollard Middle?
Pollard Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (C) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.