Profiles Help - About the Data

Public Schools & Districts

Students

Enrollment

Enrollment by Grade: Indicates the total number of students by grade, including pre-kindergarten (PK), kindergarten (K) and special education beyond grade 12 (SP).
source: SIMS
data as of: October 1

Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity: Indicates the percent of enrollment by race/ethnicity.

Definitions (as of October 1, 2008)
African American or Black: A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.
Asian: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent.
Hispanic or Latino: A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
Multi-race, Non-Hispanic: A person selecting more than one racial category and non-Hispanic.
Native American: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
White: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.

source: SIMS
data as of: October 1

Enrollment by Gender: Indicates the count of students by gender. From 2016-17 to 2018-19, in some cases the percentages of males and females may not add up to 100% because of a limited number of "Non-Binary" cases reported. Beginning in 2019-20, "Non-Binary" percentages are included. Guidance around gender reporting as described in the SIMS handbook can be found below.

Female: Individual identifies as a girl or a woman.
Male: Individual identifies as boy or a man.
Non-Binary: Individual does not identify as just female or male.

source: SIMS
data as of: October 1

Class Size

Figures are based on district reported and certified data from three collection sources: SIMS, SCS, and EPIMS.

Total # of Classes: Number of classes is based on classes that could be linked between SIMS, EPIMS, and SCS by School, Course, Section, and Term. The class must have a class count greater than 1 (one) and have students in the class who have a SCS enrollment status of enrolled, completed, or incomplete.

Average Class Size: Average Class Size is calculated by dividing the total number of students in classes by the total number of classes. Students taking multiple classes will be included in multiple class size averages.

Number of Students: This figure is de-duplicated count of students at the subject, district, and school levels.
source: SIMS, SCS, EPIMS
data as of: October 1, and June 1 (June 1 data will be cumulative)

Special Education Data

(District level only)

Indicators

Indicator 1 - Graduation Rate for Students with IEPs: Indicates the percentage of students who graduate with a regular high school diploma within 4 years. Data is provided for both students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and without IEPs.
How these data are calculated
source: SIMS

Indicator 2 - Dropout Rate for Students with IEPs: Indicates the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who dropped out of school between July 1 and June 30 prior to the listed year and who did not return to school by the following October 1. Dropouts are defined as students who leave school prior to graduation for reasons other than transfer to another school. Data is provided for both students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and without IEPs.
source: SIMS
data as of: end of year, October 1

Indicator 3 - Participation and Performance of Students with IEPs on Statewide Assessments (MCAS): Indicates participation rates and performance of students with IEPs on MCAS.

  • Indicator 3A - % of Districts Meeting AYP for the Special Education Student Group: Provides data on a district's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the Special Education student group. For more information, see: Test Results

  • Indicator 3B - Participation Rate for Students with IEPs on MCAS: Provides district-level data on the participation rate of students with IEPs on MCAS. For more information, see: Test Results

  • Indicator 3C - Proficiency Rate for Students with IEPs on MCAS: Provides district-level data on the proficiency rate of students with IEPs on MCAS. For more information, see: Test Results


Indicator 4 - Suspension/Expulsion for Students with IEPs: Indicates the rate of suspensions/expulsions for students with IEPs who were suspended/expelled for a total of greater than 10 days during the listed school year.
source: SSDR
data as of: End of School Year

Indicator 5 - School Age Educational Environment (Ages 6 - 21) for Students with IEPs: Indicates the rate of students with IEPs ages 6-21 in the listed educational environments for the listed school year.
source: SIMS
data as of: Oct 1

Indicator 8 - Parent Involvement: Indicates the percentage of parents with a child receiving special education services who report that school facilitated parent involvement as a means of improving services and results for students with IEPs.
source: Download PDF Document MA Parent Survey
data as of: June 1

Indicator 9 - Disproportionality in Special Education: Indicates whether the district has a disproportionate number of students from any racial or ethnic group receiving special education services, and if so, whether or not the disproportionality is the result of inappropriate identification policies, practices or procedures.
Source: SIMS
Data as of: October 1

Indicator 10 - Disproportionality in Selected Disability Categories: Indicates whether the district has a disproportionate number of students from any racial or ethnic group identified as having a particular disability, and if so, whether or not the disproportionality is the result of inappropriate identification policies, practices or procedures.
Source: SIMS
Data as of: October 1

Indicator 11 - Initial Evaluation Timelines: Indicates the percentage of students with parental consent to evaluate for eligibility for special education services, who were evaluated within the State established timeline. Data is reported for all initial evaluations initiated in October, November, and December of the listed school year.
source: MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
data as of: October, November, and December of the Listed School Year

Indicator 12 - Early Childhood Transition: Indicates the percentage of students referred for special education evaluation by IDEA Part C prior to age 3, who are found eligible for special education services under IDEA Part B, and who have an IEP developed and/or implemented by their third birthdays. Note: Prior to 2007-08, these data only reflected IEPs that were implemented by the third birthday.
source: MA Department of Early Education and Care
data as of: Listed School Year

Indicator 13 - Indicates the percentage of youth aged 16 and above with transition planning that includes coordinated annual goals and transition services that will reasonably enable the student to meet his/her post-secondary goals in the identified areas. Data is reported for a sample of student records reviewed during the listed school year.
source: MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
data as of: Listed School Year

Indicator 14 - Indicates the number and percentage of youth who had IEPs in effect at the time they left school and within one year of high school were enrolled in higher education, or in some other postsecondary education or training program, or competitively employed, or in some other employment within one year of leaving high school. Data is reported for a sample of student exiters surveyed during the listed school year.
source: MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
data as of: Listed School Year
Dropout Rate: Indicates the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who dropped out of school between July 1 and June 30 prior to the listed year and who did not return to school by the following October 1. Dropouts are defined as students who leave school prior to graduation for reasons other than transfer to another school.
source: SIMS
data as of: End of Year, October 1

Attendance: Attendance rate indicates the average percentage of days in attendance for students enrolled in grades PK - 12 with at least 20 days in membership.
source: SIMS
data as of: End of Year

In-School Suspension Rate: The percentage of enrolled students in grades 1-SP who received one or more in-school suspensions.
source: SIMS
data as of: Oct 1

Out-of-School Suspension Rate:The percentage of enrolled students in grades 1-SP who received one or more out-of-school suspensions.
source: SIMS
data as of: Oct 1

Retention Rate:The percentage of enrolled students in grades 1-12 who were repeating the grade in which they were enrolled the previous year.
source: SIMS
data as of: Oct 1

Exclusions rate per 1000: Indicates the rate of exclusions per 1000 students that occurred during the listed school year. An exclusion is defined as the removal of a student for disciplinary purposes permanently, indefinitely or for more than ten consecutive school days.
source: Exclusions Report
data as of: End of School Year

Chronically Absent (10% or more):The percentage of students who were absent 10% or more of their total number of student days of membership in a school. For example: A student who enrolled in a school for 50 days and missed five days, the student is counted as absent 10% or more that school year.​​ This includes students in grades PK – 12 who have at least 20 days in membership.
source: SIMS
data as of: End of School Year

Unexcused Absences >9 Rate: Calculated based on the number of students with unexcused absences for more than 9 days, divided by the End of the Year (EOY) enrollment (including transfers, dropouts, etc.) for the school year being reported. This includes students in grades PK – 12 who have at least 20 days in membership. The definition of unexcused absence is based on the local school district definition.
source: SIMS
data as of: End of School Year

Mobility Rate: Mobility is defined as those students transferring into or out of public schools, districts or the state. There are three different measures to capture mobility: Intake (Transfer-in) Rate; Churn Rate; and Stability Rate. The Intake Rate measures the number of students that enroll in the state, a district, or school after the beginning of the school year; the Churn Rate measures the number students transferring into or out of a public school or district throughout the course of a school year; and the Stability Rate measures how many students remain in a district or school throughout the school year. For further details and explanations see http://www.doe.mass.edu/infoservices/reports/mobility/.
source: SIMS

MassCore Completion:: Indicates the number of graduates completing MassCore More about Mass Core.
source: SIMS
data as of: End of Year and October 1

Attrition Rate:: The percentage of attrition by grade from the end of one school year to the beginning of the next for students enrolled in public schools, including charter schools, in the state.
source: SIMS
data as of: SIMS End of Year collection of one year and the SIMS October collection of the next year. For example, the Attrition Rate report for 2012-2013 reports on the enrolled students in SIMS End of Year 2012 who did not remain in the same district, or school, as of SIMS October 2012.

Selected Populations

First Language not English: Indicated the percentage of enrolment whose first language is a language other than English. Boston's reporting of 2010-2011 data for FLANG students were updated on May 12, 2011 from 24,947 and 44.5% to 24,328 and 43.4%.
source: SIMS
data as of: October 1

English Learners: Indicates the percent of enrollment who are English learners, defined as "a student whose first language is a language other than English who is unable to perform ordinary classroom work in English." Boston's reporting of 2010-2011 data for LEP students were updated on May 12, 2011 from 16,955 and 30.3% to 15,702 and 28.0%.
source: SIMS
data as of: October 1
Students with Disabilities: Indicates the percent of enrollment who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
source: SIMS
data as of: October 1

High Needs: Calculated based on the number of high needs students, divided by the adjusted enrollment. A student is high needs if he or she is designated as either low income (prior to 2015, and from 2022 to present), economically disadvantaged (from 2015 to 2021), El/former El, or a student with disabilities. A former El student is a student not currently an El, but had been at some point in the four previous academic years.
data as of: October 1, March 1, End of Year

Low-income (prior to 2015): Indicates the percent of enrollment who meet ANY ONE of the following definitions of Low-income:
The student is eligible for free or reduced price lunch; or
The student receives Transitional Aid to Families benefits; or
The student is eligible for food stamps
source: SIMS
data as of: October 1

Economically Disadvantaged (2015 to 2021): Calculated based on a student's participation in one or more of the following state-administered programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); the Transitional Assistance for Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC); the Department of Children and Families' (DCF) foster care program; and MassHealth (Medicaid).
source: See Understanding the Economically Disadvantaged Indicator

Low-income (2022 to present): Calculated based on a student's participation in one or more of the following state-administered programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); the Transitional Assistance for Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC); the Department of Children and Families' (DCF) foster care program; expanded MassHealth (Medicaid) up to 185% of the federal poverty level, as well as students identified by districts as homeless and students the district confirmed had met the low-income criteria through the supplemental process and collected the required supporting documentation (SIMS DOE056)
source: See Redefining Low-income Under the Student Opportunity Act (SY 2021-22)

Plans of High School Graduates

Indicates the post-graduate intentions of high school graduates.
source: SIMS
data as of: end of year

Graduates Attending Institutions of Higher Education

The Graduates Attending Institutions of Higher Education report provides information about the enrollment of Massachusetts public high school graduates into institutions of higher education. The data provided in the report are based on point-in-time matching of graduates with higher education enrollment data from the National Student Clearinghouse. The National Student Clearinghouse views its matching algorithm as proprietary. Considerations and limitations with using the data, including coverage and FERPA implications, can be found at Working with our data.

The information is displayed provided either by district or school, beginning with the 2004 high school graduating class. The report includes the number of high school graduates, the number and percentage of those high school graduates attending an institution of higher education, and percentages of students attending different types of institutions. The types include private two-year, private four-year, public two-year, and public four year institutions. The report also includes percentages of high school graduates enrolled in higher education at Massachusetts Community Colleges, Massachusetts State Universities, and the University of Massachusetts system.

Starting with 2015 high school graduates, this information is provided by two higher ed. enrollment ranges -- March after high school graduation and 16 months after high school graduation. Prior to 2015, the information is available for students attending higher education 16 months after high school graduation.

Also starting with 2015 high school graduates, this information is provided by two different percentages -- the percent of college attendees in each category and the percentage of high school graduates in each category. For example, you can find the percentage of college attendees attending a private 4 year institution or the percentage of high school graduates attending a public 4 year institution. The number of high school graduates and the number of college attendees is included in the report. Prior to 2015, the information is available for the percent of college attendees.

By default, the report provides district information for all high school graduates from the most recent high school graduating class for which data is available. The report includes all colleges and universities covered by the National Student Clearinghouse. Information is also available by several student groups, location of institution of higher education (in-state or out-of-state), previous high school graduation years, and high school (rather than district). Student groups include race, gender, special education status, low income status, economically disadvantaged status, and English learner status. Student groups for special education status, low income status, economically disadvantaged status, and English learner status include students who were ever reported in those groups in SIMS in high school. Please see the section "Selected Populations" in this help file to understand how these populations are determined.

source: SIMS, National Student Clearinghouse

Graduation Rate

Indicates the percentage of students who graduate with a regular high school diploma within 4 years.
# of students in cohort who graduate in 4 years or less
line
[# of 1st time entering 9th graders 4 years earlier] - transfers out + transfers in

The adjusted graduation rate does not include the transfers in.

In the reporting of aggregate results, students are included in the first column (from left to right) for which they qualify. For example, students who dropped out or were expelled, but earned a GED, are included in the GED category. Students who have earned a Certificate of Attainment but are still enrolled in school are included in the "Still in School" column.

Non-Grad Completer includes 1) students who earned a certificate of attainment, 2) students who met local graduation requirements but the district does not offer certificates of attainment, and 3) students with special needs who reached the maximum age (22) but did not graduate.

Students who earn a GED or Certificate of Attainment are not counted as graduates.

The Limited English Proficient, Special Education, and Low-income groups include all students who were reported in those categories at least once in high school. Students can be counted in more than one group.

The cohort count is as of the end of 2005-06 school year. The status (e.g. graduate, enrolled) is updated as of October 1, 2006.

Results based on data submitted to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education by school districts through the Department's Student Information Management System.

For more information see http://www.doe.mass.edu/infoservices/reports/gradrates/.
source: SIMS

Student Discipline

The Student Discipline Report begins with the 2012-2013 school year. School discipline data for years prior to the 2012-2013 school year are reported in the Student Indicators Profile.

Data in this report are suppressed (cells are blank) when:
There are fewer than 6 students reported, based on the offense and student group selected.
The number of students disciplined and the types of discipline are suppressed.
There are fewer than 6 students reported, based on the offense and student group selected, who were disciplined. The number of students disciplined is included but the types of discipline are suppressed.

Cells that contain 0.0% may be percentages that are more than 0.0% but less than 0.05%.

For All Offenses for All Students, all districts and schools are included in the report. For specific offenses or specific student groups, only the districts or schools with 6 or more students in the selected categories are included in the profile.

This report suppresses a considerable amount of data, as the vast majority of students do not commit offenses that require the types of disciplines included in this report.

The Student Discipline Report includes the number of students in each group and the number of students disciplined. The number of students in each group includes any student reported in that group in any of the SIMS collections or the SSDR collection.

The disciplinary actions reported are:
In-school suspension (1 day or more)
Out-of-school suspension (1 day or more)
Permanent Expulsion/Expulsion
Removed to an alternate setting, by an impartial hearing officer or school personnel. Alternative settings can include home tutoring, in-district alternative program, alternative program in another district, private alternative setting, or work/community service setting.
Emergency Removal. The removal of a student from school temporarily when a student is charged with a disciplinary offense and the continued presence of the student poses a danger to persons or property, or materially and substantially disrupts the order of the school, and, in the principal's judgment, there is no alternative available to alleviate the danger or disruption.

For more information about disciplinary actions, see: http://www.doe.mass.edu/lawsregs/advisory/discipline/StudentDiscipline.html

source: SSDR

Student Discipline Days Missed

The Student Discipline Days Missed Report begins with the 2014-2015 school year.

Data in this report are suppressed (cells are blank) when:
There are fewer than 6 students reported in the student group selected. In these cases, the number of students disciplined and the types of discipline are suppressed.
There are fewer than 6 students disciplined for the offense selected. In these cases, the number of students disciplined is included but the days missed ranges are suppressed.​

Cells that contain 0.0% may be percentages that are more than 0.0% but less than 0.05%.

For All Offenses for All Students, all districts and schools are included in the report. For specific offenses or specific student groups, only the districts or schools with 6 or more students in the selected categories are included in the profile.

The Student Discipline Days Missed Report includes the number of students in each student group and the number of students disciplined. The number of students in each student group includes any student reported in that group in any of the SIMS collections or the SSDR collection.

source: SSDR

School and District Profiles