The State of Education in Massachusetts- Boston Globe Magazine

Bellingham Public Schools

Grades served

K-12

Total enrollment (2004-5)
Rank: 124 out of 328 districts

2,693

Racial makeup of student body (2004-5)

African-American	1%
Asian	1.9%
Hispanic	2.1%

Native American	0.4%
White	94.7%

Gender makeup of student body (2004-5)

Boys

50.8%

Girls

49.2%

Students whose first language is not English
Rank: 160 out of 328 districts

2.1%

Students with limited English proficiency
Rank: 195 out of 328 districts

0.1%

Students in special education
Rank: 181 out of 328 districts

14.6%

Students from low-income families
Rank: 194 out of 328 districts

8.9%

Dropouts per 100 students (2003)
Rank: 123 out of 256 districts

1.8

Average number of absences per student

Percent of days an average student attended school
Rank: 242 out of 328 districts

94%

Students who received one or more in-school suspensions

1.9%

Students who received one or more out-of-school suspensions

6.6%

Students who repeated a grade
Rank: 125 out of 327 districts

1.4%

Plans of high school graduates

4-yr private college	20.2%
4-yr public college	28%
2-yr private college	13%
2-yr public college	19.2%
Other education	5.2%

Joined workforce	11.4%
Military service	3.1%
Other	0%
Unknown	0%

Total number of teachers (2004-5)

195

Student/teacher ratio (2004-5)
Rank: 195 out of 328 districts

13.8 to 1

Core academic teachers identified as "highly qualified" (2004-5)
Rank: 292 out of 328 districts

87.8%

Teachers licensed in their teaching assignment (2004-5)

98.8%

Average teacher salary (2002-3)
Rank: 131 out of 328 districts

$51,475

Total school spending (FY04)

$21,374,329

Per-pupil spending overall (FY04)
Rank: 198 out of 325 districts

$7,857

Per-pupil spending on regular education (FY04)
Rank: 189 out of 308 districts

$6,357

Per-pupil spending on special education (FY04)
Rank: 85 out of 325 districts

$17,247

Number of students per computer
Rank: 222 out of 327 districts

5.7

Classrooms on the Internet

98.9%

Town-level statistics

2004 MCAS scores

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Special Issue: Inside our schools

Stuck in the middle (By Daniel McGinn)

Is high school too easy? (By Chris Berdik)

The Nap Czar (By Neil Swidey, Globe Staff)

Why men are fleeing teaching (By Alison Lobron)

In schools we trust (By Deborah Meier)

Advice for the next Boston superintendent
(By Peter DeMarco)