New Bedford School District

455 County Street, C/o Paul Rodrigues Administrat
New Bedford, MA 02740
(District boundaries shown in map)
1/
10
Bottom 50%

Top Rankings

New Bedford School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in Massachusetts for:

Category
Attribute
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 1%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there are 3 public high schools serving 3,158 students in New Bedford School District. This district's average high testing ranking is 1/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public high schools in Massachusetts.
Public High Schools in New Bedford School District have an average math proficiency score of 12% (versus the Massachusetts public high school average of 44%), and reading proficiency score of 18% (versus the 52% statewide average).
Public High School in New Bedford School District have a Graduation Rate of 77%, which is less than the Massachusetts average of 90%.
The school with highest graduation rate is New Bedford High School, with 79% graduation rate. Read more about public school graduation rate statistics in Massachusetts or national school graduation rate statistics.
Minority enrollment is 70% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the Massachusetts public high school average of 48% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (MA)
# Schools
24 Schools
414 Schools
# Students
12,488 Students
327,892 Students
# Teachers
1,031 Teachers
27,777 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
12:1
12:1

District Rank

New Bedford School District, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 393 school districts in Massachusetts (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 75% has increased from 59% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (MA)
#361 out of 397 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of New Bedford  School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
21%
41%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of New Bedford  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Massachusetts by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
23%
44%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of New Bedford  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Massachusetts by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
21%
44%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of New Bedford  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Massachusetts by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
75%
90%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of New Bedford  School District and public school graduation rate of Massachusetts by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.67
0.66
# American Indian Students
41 Students
846 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
n/a
# Asian Students
101 Students
23,209 Students
% Asian Students
1%
7%
# Hispanic Students
5,603 Students
82,718 Students
% Hispanic Students
45%
25%
# Black Students
1,758 Students
37,509 Students
% Black Students
14%
12%
# White Students
4,257 Students
168,963 Students
% White Students
34%
52%
# Hawaiian Students
6 Students
298 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
708 Students
13,053 Students
% of Two or more races Students
6%
4%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
539
972
# Students in K Grade:
1,011
1,564
# Students in 1st Grade:
1,048
1,660
# Students in 2nd Grade:
1,069
1,779
# Students in 3rd Grade:
1,031
1,764
# Students in 4th Grade:
990
1,783
# Students in 5th Grade:
950
2,733
# Students in 6th Grade:
895
5,100
# Students in 7th Grade:
929
8,799
# Students in 8th Grade:
915
12,237
# Students in 9th Grade:
793
73,757
# Students in 10th Grade:
855
73,439
# Students in 11th Grade:
797
71,886
# Students in 12th Grade:
666
68,770
# Ungraded Students:
-
1,649

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $21,581 in this school district is less than the state median of $23,845. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $21,977 is less than the state median of $24,602. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (MA)
Total Revenue
$270 MM
$21,850 MM
This chart displays total revenue of New Bedford  School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in Massachusetts by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$275 MM
$22,544 MM
This chart displays total spending of New Bedford  School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in Massachusetts by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$21,581
$23,845
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in New Bedford  School District and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in Massachusetts by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$21,977
$24,602
This chart displays average spending per public school student in New Bedford  School District and average spending per public school student of all school districts in Massachusetts by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best New Bedford School District Public High Schools (2025)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Whaling City Junior/senior High School
(Math: <50% | Reading: ≤20% )
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
455 County Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 997-4511
Grades: 6-12
| 179 students
Rank: #22.
New Bedford High School
(Math: 12% | Reading: 19%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
230 Hathaway Blvd
New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 997-4511
Grades: 9-12
| 2,893 students
Rank: #33.
Trinity Day Academy
(Math: ≤10% | Reading: ≤10%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
181 Hillman Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 997-4511
Grades: 5-12
| 86 students

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • District size: 24 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 12,488 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 12:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 66%
  • : 75% (Btm 50% in MA)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 21% (Btm 50%)
  • : 23% (Btm 50%)
  • : 21% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), MA Dept. of Education

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