Ashland, Massachusetts
The Ashland Schools by the Numbers
A snapshot of one district that educates about 2,910 students across five schools. Detailed figures come from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
District Snapshot
Sources: Massachusetts DESE, school and district profiles.
High needs is a state count, not a score. It includes every student who is from a low income household, learning English, or receiving special education services, and counts each one only once. The median across all 396 Massachusetts districts is 46.7 percent.
District Overview
| District | Ashland |
| Enrollment | 2,910 |
| Schools | 5 |
| High school | Ashland High School |
Student Population
For the precise current breakdown, see the DESE district profile.
| English learners | 7.8% |
| First language not English | 31.8% |
| Students with disabilities | 19.3% |
| High needs | 40.9% |
| Per-pupil spending (in-district) | $16,725.12 |
| Per-pupil spending (total) | $17,922.30 |
Academic Performance & Context
Ashland’s four-year graduation rate was 91.5%. MCAS results, graduation rates, and accountability data are published and updated each year by DESE. Because these change annually, this guide links to the live state profile rather than reprinting numbers that quickly go stale.
One number here is a civics fact rather than an education one. Per-pupil spending is not set in this building and it is not set by the Superintendent. It is voted at Town Meeting, by the same registered voters who vote everything else. In 2026 that was the whole story of the town’s year: a $2.75 million Proposition 2 1/2 operating override for Ashland Public Schools went first to the Annual Town Meeting on May 6 and then to the voters at the Annual Town Election on May 19, because an override has to clear both rooms. It passed at the ballot box, 1,778 to 1,128, and the adjourned Town Meeting session that had been held in reserve on June 3 opened only to dissolve.
Sources
MA DESE, Ashland Student Profile (code 00140000). Accessed 2026. Override results: Town of Ashland Official Results, Annual Town Election, May 19, 2026, and the town’s own FY27 Budget Override Information page.