Enrollment
1,791
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Waltham, MA
Waltham Sr High
Federal NCES profile for Waltham Sr High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 251200001979
👥 S:T ratio 56
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 75
📋 Attendance 7
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waltham Sr High earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median. It is also one of the largest schools in Massachusetts.
- #9 of 10
- public schools in Waltham · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.1:1
- students per teacher
- 1,791
- students enrolled
Waltham Sr High has class sizes near the Massachusetts median. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waltham Sr High ranks #9 of 10 public schools in Waltham, MA.
School address
District: Waltham · Massachusetts
NCES ID 251200001979 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
161.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.1:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waltham Sr High compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waltham Sr High
Waltham Sr High is a large high school in Waltham, Massachusetts, enrolling 1,791 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Massachusetts, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,791 students.
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 (53%) and White (32%) (diversity index 61/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 24 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 124 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Waltham also operates John F Kennedy Middle (635 students) and John W. Mcdevitt Middle School (618 students) alongside Waltham Sr High.
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 Waltham Sr High compares
Waltham Sr High on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.1:1 | ▼ 10% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,791 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.1:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,791
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.1:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 36% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
37.4%
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
$26,713
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
Counselors14.4 FTE
Per 124 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
41
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 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 52.5%
White 32.1%
African American 9.0%
Asian 3.4%
Two or More 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 52.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.1, Waltham Sr High is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 24
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waltham, which includes Waltham Sr High.
$26,713
Per student
+19%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+61%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 60.4%
State 33.3%
Federal 6.3%
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 Waltham Sr High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| John F Kennedy Middle | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| John W. Mcdevitt Middle School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Northeast Elementary School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Douglas Macarthur Elementary School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| William F. Stanley Elementary School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waltham Sr High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 635
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 618
- Students per teacher
- 8.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 527
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 475
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 381
- Students per teacher
- 8.9:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
Similar high 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 (~1,791 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waltham Sr High's federal record.
- Compare Waltham Sr High against another school. Compare schools
- Waltham'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 Waltham Sr High
How many students attend Waltham Sr High?
Waltham Sr High has 1,791 students enrolled. It is a high school in Waltham, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waltham Sr High?
The student-teacher ratio at Waltham Sr High is 11.1:1, which is 10% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 29% 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 Waltham Sr High?
The largest demographic group at Waltham Sr High is Hispanic or Latino at 52.5% of enrollment, in Waltham, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waltham Sr High?
Waltham Sr High has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Waltham Sr High rank among public schools in Waltham?
By Resource Investment Index, Waltham Sr High ranks #9 of 10 public schools in Waltham, 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 Waltham on the city page.
Is Waltham Sr High a good school?
Waltham Sr High earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median. It is also one of the largest schools in Massachusetts. 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 Waltham?
Besides Waltham Sr High, Waltham also operates John F Kennedy Middle (635 students), John W. Mcdevitt Middle School (618 students), and Northeast Elementary School (527 students). See the Waltham 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.