Enrollment
200
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · New Bedford, MA
Whaling City Junior/Senior High School
Federal NCES profile for Whaling City Junior/Senior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 250843002681
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 95
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whaling City Junior/Senior High School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median.
- #7 of 15
- schools in New Bedford · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.8:1
- students per teacher
- 200
- students enrolled
Whaling City Junior/Senior High School has class sizes near the Massachusetts median. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Whaling City Junior/Senior High School ranks #7 of 15 schools in New Bedford, MA.
School address
District: New Bedford · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250843002681 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whaling City Junior/Senior High School compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whaling City Junior/Senior High School
Whaling City Junior/Senior High School is a small combined-grade school in New Bedford, Massachusetts, enrolling 200 students.
At 11.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Massachusetts median, within a few percentage points of the 12.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Enrollment of 200 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 (51%) and White (24%) (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 27 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 59.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among New Bedford's public schools, it stands alongside Hayden/Mcfadden (748 students): Whaling City Junior/Senior High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.8:1 vs 12.3:1).
New Bedford also operates New Bedford High (2,878 students) and Normandin Middle School (990 students) alongside Whaling City Junior/Senior High 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 Whaling City Junior/Senior High School compares
Whaling City Junior/Senior High 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 4% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 200 | top 86% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
200
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 48% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
59.0%
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
$19,918
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
Counselors7.4 FTE
Per 27 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 51.0%
White 23.5%
African American 15.5%
Two or More 10.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 51.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.1, Whaling City Junior/Senior High School is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for New Bedford, which includes Whaling City Junior/Senior High School.
$19,918
Per student
-11%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.9%
State 82.7%
Federal 15.4%
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 Whaling City Junior/Senior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Bedford High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Normandin Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Keith Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Roosevelt Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hayden/Mcfadden | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Whaling City Junior/Senior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,878
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 990
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 949
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 759
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 748
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar other schools in New Bedford
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Hayden/Mcfadden
Standard public school
748 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
Alfred J Gomes
Standard public school
623 students 13:1 students per teacher
Sgt Wm H Carney Academy
Standard public school
618 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
Casimir Pulaski
Standard public school
551 students 10.8:1 students per teacher
Global Learning Charter Public School
Standard public school
508 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
Irwin M. Jacobs Elementary School
Standard public school
388 students 10.8:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~200 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whaling City Junior/Senior High School's federal record.
- Compare Whaling City Junior/Senior High School against another school. Compare schools
- New Bedford'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 Whaling City Junior/Senior High School
How many students attend Whaling City Junior/Senior High School?
Whaling City Junior/Senior High School has 200 students enrolled. It is a public school in New Bedford, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whaling City Junior/Senior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Whaling City Junior/Senior High School is 11.8:1, which is 4% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 25% 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 Whaling City Junior/Senior High School?
The largest demographic group at Whaling City Junior/Senior High School is Hispanic or Latino at 51.0% of enrollment, in New Bedford, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whaling City Junior/Senior High School?
Whaling City Junior/Senior High School 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 Whaling City Junior/Senior High School rank among schools in New Bedford?
By Resource Investment Index, Whaling City Junior/Senior High School ranks #7 of 15 schools in New Bedford, MA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in New Bedford on the city page.
Is Whaling City Junior/Senior High School a good school?
Whaling City Junior/Senior High School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median. 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 New Bedford?
Besides Whaling City Junior/Senior High School, New Bedford also operates New Bedford High (2,878 students), Normandin Middle School (990 students), and Keith Middle School (949 students). See the New Bedford 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.