Enrollment
542
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 250267000186
Thomas Ditson — Billerica, MA
Federal NCES profile for Thomas Ditson, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 55
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Billerica · Massachusetts
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 12.1:1 Massachusetts avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas Ditson compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Thomas Ditson reports 542 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 40% above the Massachusetts state mean of 12.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Billerica spends $26,020 per pupil district-wide, below the Massachusetts average of $28,509 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 58.5% from local sources (property taxes), 33.9% from the state, and 7.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Thomas Ditson compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Massachusetts state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.9:1 | ▲ 40% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 542 | top 69% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
16.9:1
students per teacher
— 40% above state mean
Top 96% in Massachusetts — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$26,020
per pupil, district-wide
— below Massachusetts avg of $28,509
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting 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
Enrollment 542 Top 69% in Massachusetts — larger than 31% of 1,831 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 16.9:1 +40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 250267000186
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Billerica, which includes Thomas Ditson.
$26,020
Per student
-9%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $28,509
+34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,816
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 531
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 446
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
Similar elementary schools in Billerica
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Marshall Middle School
Standard public school
596 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
Locke Middle
Standard public school
531 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Parker
Standard public school
446 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Hajjar Elementary
Standard public school
401 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
John F Kennedy
Standard public school
330 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Thomas Ditson
How many students attend Thomas Ditson?
Thomas Ditson has 542 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Billerica, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas Ditson?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas Ditson is 16.9:1, which is 40% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.1:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thomas Ditson?
The largest demographic group at Thomas Ditson is White at 64.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Billerica, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas Ditson?
Thomas Ditson has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.