Enrollment
288
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Newburyport, MA
River Valley Charter School
Federal NCES profile for River Valley Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250006201446Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 71
📋 Attendance 41
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
River Valley Charter School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median.
- #4 of 5
- public schools in Newburyport · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.5:1
- students per teacher
- 288
- students enrolled
River Valley Charter School has class sizes near the Massachusetts median. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, River Valley Charter School ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Newburyport, MA.
School address
District: River Valley Charter (District) · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250006201446 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
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 River Valley Charter School compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at River Valley Charter School
River Valley Charter School is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Newburyport, Massachusetts, enrolling 288 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 12.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 288 puts it in the smaller third of Massachusetts schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 144 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Newburyport's elementary schools, it stands alongside Edward G. Molin Elementary School (310 students): River Valley Charter School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (12.5:1 vs 10.7:1).
River Valley Charter (District) is a single-school charter district, so River Valley Charter School operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 River Valley Charter School compares
River Valley Charter 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 | 12.5:1 | ▲ 2% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 288 | top 73% | - | - |
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.
288
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
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
23.6%
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
$18,566
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 144 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 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 84.7%
Two or More 7.0%
Hispanic or Latino 6.6%
African American 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 84.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.3, River Valley Charter School is less mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for River Valley Charter (District), which includes River Valley Charter School.
$18,566
Per student
-17%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 88.0%
State 9.6%
Federal 2.4%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Newburyport
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~288 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on River Valley Charter School's federal record.
- Compare River Valley Charter School against another school. Compare schools
- River Valley Charter (District)'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 River Valley Charter School
How many students attend River Valley Charter School?
River Valley Charter School has 288 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Newburyport, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at River Valley Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at River Valley Charter School 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 River Valley Charter School?
The largest demographic group at River Valley Charter School is White at 84.7% of enrollment, in Newburyport, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for River Valley Charter School?
River Valley Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 River Valley Charter School rank among public schools in Newburyport?
By Resource Investment Index, River Valley Charter School ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Newburyport, 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 Newburyport on the city page.
Is River Valley Charter School a good school?
River Valley Charter School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median. 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 River Valley Charter (District)?
None; River Valley Charter (District) is a single-school charter district, and River Valley Charter School is its only campus.
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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.