Nantucket, Massachusetts
The Nantucket Schools by the Numbers
A snapshot of one island district that educates about 1,653 students across four 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 | Nantucket |
| Enrollment | 1,653 |
| Schools | 4 |
| High school | Nantucket High |
Student Population
For the precise current breakdown, see the DESE district profile.
| English learners | 21.4% |
| First language not English | 54.4% |
| Students with disabilities | 20.5% |
| Low income | 35.1% |
| High needs | 55.9% |
| Per-pupil spending (in-district) | $28,994.23 |
| Per-pupil spending (total) | $29,898.35 |
One figure here says something about the island rather than about the schools. More than half of Nantucket’s students, 54.4 percent, come from a home where the first language is not English, and 21.4 percent are learning English now. A district of four schools is teaching in a community that arrived from many places.
Academic Performance & Context
Nantucket’s four-year graduation rate was 90.6%. 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 or by the Superintendent. It is voted at Town Meeting, in the same room, on the same night, by the same registered voters who vote everything else. And the schools reach the ballot too: on May 19, 2026 the town’s voters approved Question 2, on school athletic facilities, 1,773 to 1,208.
Sources
MA DESE, Nantucket Student Profile (code 01970000). Accessed 2026. Ballot question result: Town and County of Nantucket, 2026 Annual Town Election total tally sheet, May 19, 2026.