Bristol Reporter

New Bedford Public Schools had the largest enrollment among Bristol County districts, welcoming 12,488 students during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2023-24 school year, 52.9% of them were boys, 47% were girls, and 0.1% identified themselves as non-binary or did not specify their gender.

The most represented ethnicity among New Bedford Public Schools students was Hispanic, accounting for 44.9% of the student population.

Among the 27 districts in Bristol County, Fall River Public Schools ranked second in enrollment numbers with 10,656 students, while Taunton Public Schools welcomed 8,018 students and ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

New Bedford Public Schools roughly covers schools within Bristol County with its main office in New Bedford.

In the previous school year, New Bedford Public Schools also had the highest number of students among Bristol County districts.

Massachusetts spends more money on K-12 education per pupil than most other states, ranking fifth in the nation, according to a 2023 report. The state allocates $22,913 per pupil, totaling $21.1 billion annually.

Taxpayers provide a significant portion of their income towards education, with state funding accounting for $9,210 per pupil and local funding providing $11,830 per pupil. The federal government contributes a relatively small amount.

District	City (main office)	Total Enrollment
New Bedford Public Schools	New Bedford	12,488
Fall River Public Schools	Fall River	10,656
Taunton Public Schools	Taunton	8,018
Attleboro Public Schools	Attleboro	6,057
North Attleborough Public Schools	North Attleborough	3,920
Easton Public Schools	North Easton	3,401
Mansfield School District	Mansfield	3,371
Dartmouth Public Schools	Dartmouth	3,351
Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District	North Dighton	2,549
Norton School District	Norton	2,406
Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical School District	New Bedford	2,147
Seekonk Public Schools	Seekonk	2,061
Swansea Public Schools	Swansea	2,049
Fairhaven Public Schools	Fairhaven	1,759
Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical School District	South Easton	1,597
Somerset Public Schools	Somerset	1,597
Westport Community Schools	Westport	1,506
Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical School District	Fall River	1,443
Bristol-Plymouth Regional Vocational Technical School District	Taunton	1,330
Atlantis Charter District	Fall River	1,257
Alma del Mar Charter School District	New Bedford	1,041
Somerset Berkley Regional School District	Somerset	960
Acushnet Public Schools	Acushnet	937
Berkley Public Schools	Berkley	836
Bristol County Agricultural School District	Dighton	592
Argosy Collegiate Charter School District	Fall River	574
Global Learning Charter Public District	New Bedford	502