Enrollment
278
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Westwood, MA
William E Sheehan
Federal NCES profile for William E Sheehan, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 251281002101
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 76
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
William E Sheehan earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median.
- #1 of 4
- elementary schools in Westwood · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.6:1
- students per teacher
- 278
- students enrolled
William E Sheehan has class sizes near the Massachusetts median. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, William E Sheehan ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Westwood, MA.
School address
District: Westwood · Massachusetts
NCES ID 251281002101 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How William E Sheehan compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at William E Sheehan
William E Sheehan is a mid-sized elementary school in Westwood, Massachusetts, enrolling 278 students.
At 11.6:1, 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 278 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 (77%) and Asian (9%) (diversity index 40/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Westwood's elementary schools, it stands alongside Martha Jones (275 students): William E Sheehan is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.6:1 vs 13.8:1).
Westwood also operates Westwood High (837 students) and E W Thurston Middle (664 students) alongside William E Sheehan.
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 William E Sheehan compares
William E Sheehan on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.6:1 | ▼ 6% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 278 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.6:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
278
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.6:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 45% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
9.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$24,589
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 76.6%
Asian 9.4%
Two or More 7.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.5%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 76.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.5, William E Sheehan is less mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Westwood, which includes William E Sheehan.
$24,589
Per student
+9%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+48%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.1%
State 23.7%
Federal 2.2%
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 William E Sheehan Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westwood High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| E W Thurston Middle | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Martha Jones | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Downey | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Paul Hanlon | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to William E Sheehan's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 837
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 664
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 275
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 271
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 230
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
Similar elementary schools in Westwood
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~278 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on William E Sheehan's federal record.
- Compare William E Sheehan against another school. Compare schools
- Westwood'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 William E Sheehan
How many students attend William E Sheehan?
William E Sheehan has 278 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Westwood, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at William E Sheehan?
The student-teacher ratio at William E Sheehan is 11.6:1, which is 6% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 26% 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 William E Sheehan?
The largest demographic group at William E Sheehan is White at 76.6% of enrollment, in Westwood, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for William E Sheehan?
William E Sheehan has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does William E Sheehan rank among elementary schools in Westwood?
By Resource Investment Index, William E Sheehan ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Westwood, MA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Westwood on the city page.
Is William E Sheehan a good school?
William E Sheehan earns 53/100 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 Westwood?
Besides William E Sheehan, Westwood also operates Westwood High (837 students), E W Thurston Middle (664 students), and Martha Jones (275 students). See the Westwood 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.