The State of Education in Massachusetts- Boston Globe Magazine

Boston Public Schools

Grades served

K-12

Total enrollment (2004-5)
Rank: 1 out of 328 districts

57,742

Racial makeup of student body (2004-5)

African-American	45.5%
Asian	8.9%
Hispanic	31.2%

Native American	0.4%
White	14%

Gender makeup of student body (2004-5)

Boys

51.4%

Girls

48.6%

Students whose first language is not English
Rank: 9 out of 328 districts

36.8%

Students with limited English proficiency
Rank: 7 out of 328 districts

17%

Students in special education
Rank: 49 out of 328 districts

19.6%

Students from low-income families
Rank: 5 out of 328 districts

73.5%

Dropouts per 100 students (2003)
Rank: 242 out of 256 districts

7.7

Average number of absences per student

Percent of days an average student attended school
Rank: 319 out of 328 districts

91.9%

Students who received one or more in-school suspensions

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

7.8%

Students who repeated a grade
Rank: 1 out of 327 districts

7.7%

Plans of high school graduates

4-yr private college	34.8%
4-yr public college	12.7%
2-yr private college	3.4%
2-yr public college	2.5%
Other education	0%

Joined workforce	2.4%
Military service	0.6%
Other	0%
Unknown	43.7%

Total number of teachers (2004-5)

4937

Student/teacher ratio (2004-5)
Rank: 76 out of 328 districts

11.7 to 1

Core academic teachers identified as "highly qualified" (2004-5)
Rank: 290 out of 328 districts

88.2%

Teachers licensed in their teaching assignment (2004-5)

86.6%

Average teacher salary (2002-3)
Rank: 1 out of 328 districts

$63,988

Total school spending (FY04)

$698,416,747

Per-pupil spending overall (FY04)
Rank: 43 out of 325 districts

$11,795

Per-pupil spending on regular education (FY04)
Rank: 35 out of 308 districts

$8,883

Per-pupil spending on special education (FY04)
Rank: 32 out of 325 districts

$20,974

Number of students per computer
Rank: 276 out of 327 districts

8.1

Classrooms on the Internet

98.5%

Town-level statistics

2004 MCAS scores

Select another district:

To see the report card of another district, select it from this menu, then click "Go":

View a list of all districts

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)