Bay State News

In the 2022-23 school year, white students were the most represented ethnicity in Massachusetts schools, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

There were 497,071 white students enrolled, making up 54.4% of the student body in Massachusetts.

The proportion of white students enrolled in the state fell from the year before.

Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander students were the least represented ethnic group among Massachusetts students.

Nantucket County had the most even distribution of races within its student body among all counties in the state, including 44.3% white, 41.1% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Black or African American, 4.7% multiracial, 1.4% Asian, and 0.1% American Indian or Alaska Native.

The number of students attending the state’s schools in the 2022-23 school year grew to 913,735.

Students in Massachusetts are predominantly white, according to state data from 2023-24, representing 53% of the state's student body.

Across the state, Hispanic and Latino students saw the highest high school dropout rates.

Underrepresentation is found among educators in Massachusetts as well. The Rennie Center reported that only 7.8% of teachers identified as people of color in 2022.

County	White Students Enrollment	Total Enrollment in 2022-2023	% of Total Enrollment
Barnstable County	16,173	22,494	71.9%
Berkshire County	10,879	14,564	74.7%
Bristol County	50,210	79,826	62.9%
Dukes County	1,527	2,464	62%
Essex County	55,217	110,879	49.8%
Franklin County	6,885	8,805	78.2%
Hampden County	26,858	68,341	39.3%
Hampshire County	12,582	16,844	74.7%
Middlesex County	117,319	212,536	55.2%
Nantucket County	761	1,718	44.3%
Norfolk County	61,745	99,912	61.8%
Plymouth County	53,925	77,146	69.9%
Suffolk County	11,903	77,293	15.4%
Worcester County	70,442	120,414	58.5%