Enrollment
533
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Needham, MA
Sunita L. Williams Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Sunita L. Williams Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250837001313
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sunita L. Williams Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Massachusetts schools.
- #4 of 4
- elementary schools in Needham · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.7:1
- large classes for Massachusetts
- 533
- students enrolled
Sunita L. Williams Elementary has class sizes larger than 76% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sunita L. Williams Elementary ranks #4 of 4 elementary schools in Needham, MA.
School address
District: Needham · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250837001313 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sunita L. Williams Elementary compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sunita L. Williams Elementary
Sunita L. Williams Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Needham, Massachusetts, enrolling 533 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 533 puts it in the larger 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 led by White (71%) and Asian (11%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 281 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
10.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Needham's elementary schools, it stands alongside Broadmeadow (502 students): Sunita L. Williams Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.7:1 vs 13.9:1).
Needham also operates Needham High (1,633 students) and Pollard Middle (867 students) alongside Sunita L. Williams Elementary.
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 Sunita L. Williams Elementary compares
Sunita L. Williams Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.7:1 | ▲ 11% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 533 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
533
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 76% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
10.7%
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
$23,810
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
Counselors1.9 FTE
Per 281 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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 70.5%
Asian 11.1%
Two or More 8.3%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
African American 4.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 70.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.9, Sunita L. Williams Elementary is about as mixed as the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Needham, which includes Sunita L. Williams Elementary.
$23,810
Per student
+6%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Sunita L. Williams Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needham High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pollard Middle | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Newman Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Broadmeadow | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| High Rock School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sunita L. Williams Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,633
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 867
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 696
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 441
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
Similar elementary schools in Needham
3 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 (~533 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sunita L. Williams Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Sunita L. Williams Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Needham'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 Sunita L. Williams Elementary
How many students attend Sunita L. Williams Elementary?
Sunita L. Williams Elementary has 533 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Needham, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sunita L. Williams Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sunita L. Williams Elementary is 13.7:1, 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 Sunita L. Williams Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sunita L. Williams Elementary is White at 70.5% of enrollment, in Needham, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sunita L. Williams Elementary?
Sunita L. Williams Elementary 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 Sunita L. Williams Elementary rank among elementary schools in Needham?
By Resource Investment Index, Sunita L. Williams Elementary ranks #4 of 4 elementary schools in Needham, 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 Needham on the city page.
Is Sunita L. Williams Elementary a good school?
Sunita L. Williams Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% 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 Needham?
Besides Sunita L. Williams Elementary, Needham also operates Needham High (1,633 students), Pollard Middle (867 students), and Newman Elementary (696 students). See the Needham 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.