Enrollment
445
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Belchertown, MA
Swift River Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Swift River Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250243000836
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 41
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Swift River Elementary earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Belchertown · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12:1
- students per teacher
- 445
- students enrolled
Swift River Elementary has class sizes near the Massachusetts median. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Swift River Elementary ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Belchertown, MA.
School address
District: Belchertown · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250243000836 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Swift River Elementary compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Swift River Elementary
Swift River Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Belchertown, Massachusetts, enrolling 445 students.
At 12:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Massachusetts median, within a few percentage points of the 12.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
With 445 students, its enrollment sits close to the Massachusetts median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 223 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.
The surrounding Belchertown spends $17,888 per pupil, 20% below the Massachusetts average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Belchertown's elementary schools, it stands alongside Chestnut Hill Community School (494 students): Swift River Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12:1 vs 13.4:1).
Belchertown also operates Belchertown High (573 students) and Chestnut Hill Community School (494 students) alongside Swift River 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 Swift River Elementary compares
Swift River 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 | 12:1 | ▼ 2% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 445 | top 45% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
445
Bigger than 54% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 52% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 48% 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
$17,888
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 223 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 80.2%
Hispanic or Latino 10.6%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 2.0%
African American 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 80.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.2, Swift River Elementary is less mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Belchertown, which includes Swift River Elementary.
$17,888
Per student
-20%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.7%
State 47.9%
Federal 5.5%
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 Swift River Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belchertown High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chestnut Hill Community School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jabish Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cold Spring | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Swift River Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 573
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 494
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 343
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 188
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar elementary schools in Belchertown
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 (~445 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Swift River Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Swift River Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Belchertown'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 Swift River Elementary
How many students attend Swift River Elementary?
Swift River Elementary has 445 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Belchertown, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Swift River Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Swift River Elementary is 12:1, which is 2% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 24% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Swift River Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Swift River Elementary is White at 80.2% of enrollment, in Belchertown, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Swift River Elementary?
Swift River Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Swift River Elementary rank among public schools in Belchertown?
By Resource Investment Index, Swift River Elementary ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Belchertown, 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 Belchertown on the city page.
Is Swift River Elementary a good school?
Swift River Elementary earns 45/100 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 Belchertown?
Besides Swift River Elementary, Belchertown also operates Belchertown High (573 students), Chestnut Hill Community School (494 students), and Jabish Middle School (343 students). See the Belchertown 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.