Enrollment
298
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Cambridge, MA
Vassal Lane Upper School
Federal NCES profile for Vassal Lane Upper School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 250327002756
👥 S:T ratio 72
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 70
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Vassal Lane Upper School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of Massachusetts schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Massachusetts schools.
- #2 of 4
- middle schools in Cambridge · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 7.1:1
- small classes for Massachusetts
- 298
- students enrolled
Vassal Lane Upper School has class sizes smaller than 96% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Vassal Lane Upper School ranks #2 of 4 middle schools in Cambridge, MA.
School address
District: Cambridge · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250327002756 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.1:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vassal Lane Upper School compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Vassal Lane Upper School
Vassal Lane Upper School is a mid-sized middle school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, enrolling 298 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.1:1, Vassal Lane Upper School is leaner than roughly 96% of Massachusetts schools and 42% under the state's 12.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Enrollment of 298 puts it in the smaller 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 (36%) and African American (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 75/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 149 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Cambridge spends $38,967 per pupil, 74% above the Massachusetts average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Cambridge's middle schools, it stands alongside Cambridge Street Upper School (301 students): Vassal Lane Upper School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (7.1:1 vs 8.9:1).
Cambridge also operates Cambridge Rindge and Latin (2,072 students) and Amigos School (413 students) alongside Vassal Lane Upper School.
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 Vassal Lane Upper School compares
Vassal Lane Upper School on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 7.1:1 | ▼ 42% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 298 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.1:1
Leaner classes than 96% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
298
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
7.1:1
students per teacher
- 42% below state mean
Top 4% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
24.8%
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
$38,967
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 149 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 35.6%
African American 27.2%
Asian 17.4%
Hispanic or Latino 12.4%
Two or More 7.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 35.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 74.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 74.9, Vassal Lane Upper School is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cambridge, which includes Vassal Lane Upper School.
$38,967
Per student
+74%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+135%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 78.2%
State 17.7%
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 Vassal Lane Upper School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge Rindge and Latin | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Amigos School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| King Open | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Graham and Parks | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Maria L. Baldwin | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Vassal Lane Upper School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,072
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 413
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 391
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 367
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 360
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar middle schools in Cambridge
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 (~298 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Vassal Lane Upper School's federal record.
- Compare Vassal Lane Upper School against another school. Compare schools
- Cambridge'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 Vassal Lane Upper School
How many students attend Vassal Lane Upper School?
Vassal Lane Upper School has 298 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Cambridge, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vassal Lane Upper School?
The student-teacher ratio at Vassal Lane Upper School is 7.1:1, which is 42% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 55% 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 Vassal Lane Upper School?
The largest demographic group at Vassal Lane Upper School is White at 35.6% of enrollment, in Cambridge, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 74.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vassal Lane Upper School?
Vassal Lane Upper School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher 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 Vassal Lane Upper School rank among middle schools in Cambridge?
By Resource Investment Index, Vassal Lane Upper School ranks #2 of 4 middle schools in Cambridge, 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 Cambridge on the city page.
Is Vassal Lane Upper School a good school?
Vassal Lane Upper School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of Massachusetts schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Cambridge?
Besides Vassal Lane Upper School, Cambridge also operates Cambridge Rindge and Latin (2,072 students), Amigos School (413 students), and King Open (391 students). See the Cambridge 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.