Enrollment
325
Elementary
DISTRICT 311 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NEWTON·NCES 250861001358
Bowen
280 Cypress Street, Newton Centre, MA 02459 · (617) 559-9330 · Middlesex County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL325 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
10.0:1
33 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.3:1 · STATE 12.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 46 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 45 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 49 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 56 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 65 | 20% |
| Grade 5 | 64 | 20% |
This year's kindergarten class (46) is 28% smaller than its 5th grade class (64).
Student demographics
69%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 65% · STATE 65% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
MCAS 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
57.0%
MA avg 43.8% . -7.0pp since 2016
Math
63.0%
MA avg 42.2% . +2.0pp since 2016
What this means: On the MCAS, Massachusetts's statewide test, about 57 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 63 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Massachusetts schools, those numbers are about 44 and 42. Reading and writing scores are down about 7 points since 2016, while math scores are up about 2 points.
MCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 57.0% | 63.0% |
| 2023-24 | 66.0% | 67.0% |
| 2022-23 | 61.0% | 63.0% |
| 2021-22 | 60.0% | 64.0% |
| 2020-21 | 67.0% | 54.0% |
| 2018-19 | 71.0% | 73.0% |
| 2017-18 | 71.0% | 75.0% |
| 2016-17 | 64.0% | 61.0% |
% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Bowen ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Massachusetts | In Middlesex County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 63.0% | #171 of 920 ▼ 32 | #71 of 207 ▼ 13 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 57.0% | #225 of 920 ▼ 145 | #92 of 207 ▼ 50 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -2.0pp | #290 of 901 | #72 of 206 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 325 | #640 of 1,086 | #171 of 238 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.0:1 | #115 of 938 | #29 of 222 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 69.0% | #84 of 938 | #28 of 222 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -22.8% | #85 of 602 | #21 of 141 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
325
-17 (-5%) vs 2020
-21% since 1990-91, when it was 413
Student : Teacher
10.0:1
was 14.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 325 | 32.5 | 10.0:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 355 | 30.5 | 11.6:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 360 | 31 | 11.6:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 342 | 24 | 14.3:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 421 | 32.9 | 12.8:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 449 | 39 | 11.5:1 | N/A |
| 2010-11 | 450 | 23 | 19.6:1 | 8% (37) |
| 2000-01 | 383 | N/A | N/A | 6% (22) |
| 1990-91 | 413 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Bowen.
Since 2017-18: students down 23% (421 to 325); teachers down 1% (32.9 to 32.5).
About Bowen
Bowen operates as a medium-sized elementary school in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. Its 325 students are spread across kindergarten through 5.
Bowen is run by Newton, whose 22 schools enroll 11,632 students.
White students are the largest group at Bowen, with 43% of enrollment. The rest of enrollment is 31% Asian, 13% Hispanic, 10% multiracial, and 3% Black. Among all residents of Middlesex County, the White share is about 67%. By the diversity index, Bowen comes in at 69%.
The school has about 10.0 students per teacher and 32.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. That ratio is under the 12.2:1 average for elementary schools in Massachusetts.
Middlesex County has about 1,638,365 residents, and median household income is about $130,847, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 60%, and roughly 5% of residents are in poverty. The public schools of Middlesex County number 386 and enroll about 215,896.
The closest public school to Bowen is Newton South High, about 0.5 miles away. Within five miles of Bowen, there are at least 8 other public schools.
NCES describes the area around Bowen as City: Small, meaning inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
Bowen had 342 students in 2020-21 and 325 in 2024-25, a 5% decrease. The ratio was 14.3:1 in 2020-21 and 10.0:1 in 2024-25.
Threads on this page can be about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Middlesex County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
1,638,365
Census ACS
Median income
$130,847
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
60%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
386
215,896 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Newton
- Newton North HighHigh · 2,096 students
- Newton South HighHigh · 1,898 students
- F A Day MiddleMiddle · 860 students
- Charles E Brown MiddleMiddle · 713 students
- Oak Hill MiddleMiddle · 649 students
- Bigelow MiddleMiddle · 434 students
Other schools in Newton Centre
- Newton South HighHigh · 1,898 students
- Charles E Brown MiddleMiddle · 713 students
- Memorial SpauldingElementary · 342 students
- Mason-RiceElementary · 321 students
- John WardElementary · 186 students
Nearby schools
- Newton South High0.5 mi · 1,898
- Oak Hill Middle0.8 mi · 649
- Charles E Brown Middle0.9 mi · 713
- Countryside0.9 mi · 369
- Mason-Rice1.0 mi · 321
- John Ward1.4 mi · 186
Frequently asked questions
About BowenHow large is Bowen?
Bowen enrolls approximately 325 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Bowen serve?
Bowen serves grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bowen?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Bowen is approximately 10.0:1 (33 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Bowen?
At Bowen, the student body is approximately 43% White, 13% Hispanic, 3% Black, 31% Asian, 10% Two or more.
Who oversees Bowen?
Bowen is overseen by Newton in Middlesex County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.