Enrollment
262
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Springfield, MA
Van Sickle Academy
Federal NCES profile for Van Sickle Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 251113002855
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 83
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Van Sickle Academy earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Massachusetts schools.
- #8 of 14
- middle schools in Springfield · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.4:1
- small classes for Massachusetts
- 262
- students enrolled
Van Sickle Academy has class sizes smaller than 86% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Van Sickle Academy ranks #8 of 14 middle schools in Springfield, MA.
School address
District: Springfield · Massachusetts
NCES ID 251113002855 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.4:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Van Sickle Academy compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Van Sickle Academy
Van Sickle Academy is a mid-sized middle school in Springfield, Massachusetts, enrolling 262 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.4:1, Van Sickle Academy is leaner than roughly 86% of Massachusetts schools and 24% under the state's 12.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Enrollment of 262 puts it in the smaller 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 Hispanic or Latino (78%) and African American (9%) (diversity index 37/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 87 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 65.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Springfield's middle schools, it stands alongside John F Kennedy Middle (366 students): Van Sickle Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (9.4:1 vs 8.9:1).
Springfield also operates Springfield Central High (1,983 students) and Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy (1,382 students) alongside Van Sickle Academy.
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 Van Sickle Academy compares
Van Sickle Academy on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.4:1 | ▼ 24% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 262 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.4:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
262
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
9.4:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 14% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
65.3%
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
$23,067
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 87 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 37 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.1 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
Hispanic or Latino 78.2%
African American 9.2%
White 8.0%
Asian 2.3%
Two or More 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 78.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.3, Van Sickle Academy is less mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Springfield, which includes Van Sickle Academy.
$23,067
Per student
+3%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.4%
State 79.9%
Federal 18.7%
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 Van Sickle Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield Central High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Springfield High School of Science and Technology | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| High School of Commerce | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| John J Duggan Academy | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Van Sickle Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,983
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,382
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 1,091
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 966
- Students per teacher
- 6.9:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 823
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar middle schools in Springfield
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
John F Kennedy Middle
Standard public school
366 students 8.9:1 students per teacher
Springfield Legacy Academy
Standard public school
299 students 8.8:1 students per teacher
Kiley Prep
Standard public school
298 students 11.9:1 students per teacher
Forest Park Middle
Standard public school
282 students 9.1:1 students per teacher
Impact Prep at Chestnut
Standard public school
278 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Stem Middle Academy
Standard public school
269 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Similar middle 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 (~262 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Van Sickle Academy's federal record.
- Compare Van Sickle Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Springfield'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 Van Sickle Academy
How many students attend Van Sickle Academy?
Van Sickle Academy has 262 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Springfield, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Van Sickle Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Van Sickle Academy is 9.4:1, which is 24% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 40% 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 Van Sickle Academy?
The largest demographic group at Van Sickle Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 78.2% of enrollment, in Springfield, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Van Sickle Academy?
Van Sickle Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Van Sickle Academy rank among middle schools in Springfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Van Sickle Academy ranks #8 of 14 middle schools in Springfield, MA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Springfield on the city page.
Is Van Sickle Academy a good school?
Van Sickle Academy earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% 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 Springfield?
Besides Van Sickle Academy, Springfield also operates Springfield Central High (1,983 students), Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy (1,382 students), and Springfield High School of Science and Technology (1,091 students). See the Springfield 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.