Public schools in Massachusetts

The NCES directory lists 1,823 public schools operating in Massachusetts in 2024-25; 1,793 of them reported 910,253 students, averaging 12.0 students per teacher, the 41st highest of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is Boston Public Schools, with 46,094 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools1,7931,014 elementary, 300 middle, 378 high, 101 other
Students910,2531.9% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher12.0U.S. 15.3

Massachusetts has fewer students per teacher than the U.S. average

Massachusetts ranks 41st of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. New Mexico12.7
  2. Missouri12.3
  3. Connecticut12.2
  4. Massachusetts12.0
  5. Montana11.6
  6. New Jersey11.6
  7. New York11.4

Eight in ten larger Massachusetts districts spent between $17,874 and $26,873 per student

Among the 243 Massachusetts districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $17,874 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $26,873; the median was $21,173. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, Massachusetts districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23243 values from $13,919 to $39,949; ; state median $21,173.$17,874$26,873the middle eight in ten← 1 below $10,000$10k$20k$30k$40kcurrent spending per studentstate median $21,173
Current spending per student, Massachusetts districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23243 values from $13,919 to $39,949; ; state median $21,173.$17,874$26,873the middle eight in ten← 1 below $10,000$10k$20k$30k$40kcurrent spending per studentstate median $21,173
Current spending per student, Massachusetts districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23243 values from $13,919 to $39,949; ; state median $21,173.$17,874$26,873the middle eight in ten← 1 below $10,000$10k$20k$30k$40kcurrent spending per studentstate median $21,173
Current spending per student, Massachusetts districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23243 values from $13,919 to $39,949; ; state median $21,173.$17,874$26,873the middle eight in ten← 1 below $10,000$10k$20k$30k$40kcurrent spending per studentstate median $21,173

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 44.7% of the Massachusetts students tested met the state's reading standard and 42% its math standard. Massachusetts writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare Massachusetts's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 89.2% of 72,602 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the Massachusetts almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: Brockton High, 3,598 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: McKinley Schools, 3.3 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: Cambridge, $39,949 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: Boston Public Schools, $121,260 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: Country, 0% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: Chestnut Accelerated Middle School (Talented and Gifted), 74 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Dover-Sherborn, 63 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in Massachusetts

  1. Boston Public Schools46,094
  2. Worcester24,693
  3. Springfield Public Schools23,670
  4. Lynn Public Schools16,364
  5. Brockton15,117
  6. Lowell Public Schools14,457
  7. Lawrence13,313
  8. New Bedford Public Schools12,505

Every Massachusetts school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Springfield27,241 students71 schools
  2. Worcester26,884 students48 schools
  3. Lowell16,541 students29 schools
  4. Lawrence15,552 students29 schools
  5. Dorchester13,675 students29 schools
  6. Lynn18,001 students28 schools
  7. New Bedford16,206 students27 schools
  8. Brockton15,851 students24 schools
  9. Fall River14,056 students20 schools
  10. Cambridge8,520 students20 schools
  11. Quincy9,508 students18 schools
  12. Roxbury8,272 students17 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about Massachusetts's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in Massachusetts?
    The NCES directory lists 1,823 operating in 2024-25; 1,793 of them reported students: 1,014 elementary, 300 middle, 378 high and 101 other, enrolling 910,253 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in Massachusetts?
    12.0 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in Massachusetts?
    Boston Public Schools, with 46,094 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does Massachusetts spend per public-school student?
    $22,955 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .