Massachusetts District Expenditures with Student and Staff Data

Massachusetts school district data includes expenditure details by functional area, student enrollment demographics, teacher salaries, and MCAS performance indicators from fiscal year 2009 onward. The dataset is published by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) via the educationtocareer.data.mass.gov platform. It contains multiple indicators across categories like expenditures, enrollment, and staff.

Use Cases

• Analyze the relationship between IND_VALUE for 'Teachers per 100 FTE Students' and 'Math Grades 3-8 % Meets Exceeds' across DIST_CODE.
• Model trends in 'Average Teacher Salary' (IND_SUBCAT) over SY (school year) for different DIST_NAME groupings.
• Compare IND_VALUE for 'Administration' expenditure against 'Low-Income % Headcount' to study equity in district spending.
• Forecast future 'Total FTE Pupils' enrollment using historical SY and demographic IND_SUBCAT data.
• Cluster districts (DIST_CODE) based on IND_CAT patterns like 'Teacher Salaries' and 'MCAS Performance' for peer analysis.

Strengths

• Data spans from fiscal year 2009, providing over a decade of longitudinal records.
• Includes multiple integrated data categories: expenditures, enrollment, demographics, staff, and performance.
• Published by a state education department (DESE) with supporting documentation and a related dashboard.

Limitations

• Indicator definitions for economic disadvantage ('Low Income', 'Economically Disadvantaged') are not consistent across all years, complicating time-series analysis.
• The exact row count and data completeness for each SY and DIST_CODE are unknown.
• Sample data is unavailable, preventing assessment of data distribution or null value prevalence.

Provenance

Source

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), published on educationtocareer.data.mass.gov.

Collection Method

Reported by school districts, charter schools, and virtual schools as part of state financial and accountability reporting.

Time Range

From fiscal year 2009 onward.

Freshness

Last updated March 3, 2026, indicating active maintenance.

Geography

Massachusetts, United States (school districts within the state).