Enrollment
542
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Billerica, MA
Thomas Ditson
Federal NCES profile for Thomas Ditson, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250267000186
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Thomas Ditson earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Massachusetts schools.
- #5 of 6
- elementary schools in Billerica · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.4:1
- large classes for Massachusetts
- 542
- students enrolled
Thomas Ditson has class sizes larger than 93% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Thomas Ditson ranks #5 of 6 elementary schools in Billerica, MA.
School address
District: Billerica · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250267000186 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas Ditson compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Thomas Ditson
Thomas Ditson is a mid-sized elementary school in Billerica, Massachusetts, enrolling 542 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.4:1 is larger than about 93% of Massachusetts schools and 33% above the 12.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 542 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and Asian (15%) (diversity index 54/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Billerica's elementary schools, it stands alongside Marshall Middle School (596 students): Thomas Ditson is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.4:1 vs 12.2:1).
Billerica also operates Billerica Memorial High School (1,816 students) and Marshall Middle School (596 students) alongside Thomas Ditson.
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 Thomas Ditson compares
Thomas Ditson on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.4:1 | ▲ 33% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 542 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
542
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 33% above state mean
Top 93% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$20,891
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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 + 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 64.9%
Asian 14.8%
Hispanic or Latino 11.1%
African American 4.8%
Two or More 3.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 64.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.1, Thomas Ditson is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Billerica, which includes Thomas Ditson.
$20,891
Per student
-7%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.5%
State 33.9%
Federal 7.7%
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 Thomas Ditson Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billerica Memorial High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Marshall Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Locke Middle | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Parker | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hajjar Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Thomas Ditson's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,816
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 531
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 446
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar elementary schools in Billerica
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Marshall Middle School
Standard public school
596 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Locke Middle
Standard public school
531 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
Parker
Standard public school
446 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Hajjar Elementary
Standard public school
401 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
John F Kennedy
Standard public school
330 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
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 (~542 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Thomas Ditson's federal record.
- Compare Thomas Ditson against another school. Compare schools
- Billerica'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 Thomas Ditson
How many students attend Thomas Ditson?
Thomas Ditson has 542 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Billerica, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas Ditson?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas Ditson is 16.4:1, which is 33% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thomas Ditson?
The largest demographic group at Thomas Ditson is White at 64.9% of enrollment, in Billerica, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas Ditson?
Thomas Ditson has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Thomas Ditson rank among elementary schools in Billerica?
By Resource Investment Index, Thomas Ditson ranks #5 of 6 elementary schools in Billerica, 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 Billerica on the city page.
Is Thomas Ditson a good school?
Thomas Ditson earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% 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 Billerica?
Besides Thomas Ditson, Billerica also operates Billerica Memorial High School (1,816 students), Marshall Middle School (596 students), and Locke Middle (531 students). See the Billerica 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.