Enrollment
528
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Dorchester, MA
Shaw Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Shaw Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 250279002839
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Shaw Elementary School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Massachusetts schools.
- #11 of 26
- schools in Dorchester · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 27.8:1
- large classes for Massachusetts
- 528
- students enrolled
Shaw Elementary School has class sizes larger than 99% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Shaw Elementary School ranks #11 of 26 schools in Dorchester, MA.
School address
District: Boston · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250279002839 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.8:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+126% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shaw Elementary School compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Shaw Elementary School
Shaw Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Dorchester, Massachusetts, enrolling 528 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27.8:1 is larger than about 99% of Massachusetts schools and 126% above the 12.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 528 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is led by African American (69%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%) (diversity index 45/100).
11.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Boston spends $34,835 per pupil, 55% above the Massachusetts average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Dorchester's public schools, it stands alongside Boston Latin Academy (1,693 students): Shaw Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (27.8:1 vs 18.6:1).
Boston also operates Boston Latin School (2,424 students) and Boston Latin Academy (1,693 students) alongside Shaw 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 Shaw Elementary School compares
Shaw 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 | 27.8:1 | ▲ 126% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 528 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27.8:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
528
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
27.8:1
students per teacher
- 126% above state mean
Top 99% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
11.9%
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
$34,835
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
African American 68.9%
Hispanic or Latino 26.5%
Two or More 1.9%
Asian 1.1%
White 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: African American at 68.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.4, Shaw Elementary School is about as mixed as the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Boston, which includes Shaw Elementary School.
$34,835
Per student
+55%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+110%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.0%
State 25.9%
Federal 12.1%
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.
How Shaw Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Latin School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Boston Latin Academy | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| O'bryant School of Math & Science | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| East Boston High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Madison Park Technical Vocational High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Shaw Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,424
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,693
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,509
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,252
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,121
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar other schools in Dorchester
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Boston Latin Academy
Standard public school
1,693 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Murphy K-8 School
Standard public school
855 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Techboston Academy
Standard public school
850 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Neighborhood House Charter School
Standard public school
786 students 10.3:1 students per teacher
Boston Collegiate Charter School
Standard public school
708 students 9.4:1 students per teacher
Up Academy Holland
Standard public school
641 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~528 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Shaw Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Shaw Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Boston'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 Shaw Elementary School
How many students attend Shaw Elementary School?
Shaw Elementary School has 528 students enrolled. It is a public school in Dorchester, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shaw Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Shaw Elementary School is 27.8:1, which is 126% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 77% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shaw Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Shaw Elementary School is African American at 68.9% of enrollment, in Dorchester, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shaw Elementary School?
Shaw Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Shaw Elementary School rank among schools in Dorchester?
By Resource Investment Index, Shaw Elementary School ranks #11 of 26 schools in Dorchester, MA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Dorchester on the city page.
Is Shaw Elementary School a good school?
Shaw Elementary School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% 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 Boston?
Besides Shaw Elementary School, Boston also operates Boston Latin School (2,424 students), Boston Latin Academy (1,693 students), and O'bryant School of Math & Science (1,509 students). See the Boston 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.