Total enrollment
19,816
-1,819 (-8%) vs SY 2020-21
41 schools in Providence
Rhode Island · 20,645 students · 1 city
Public K-12 education in Providence runs across 41 schools with combined enrollment of about 20,645 students, averaging 504 per school.
4-year change in Providence
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
37
-2 (-5%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Providence ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In Rhode Island | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 20,645 | #1 of 37 | #386 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 39 | #1 of 37 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.9:1 | #36 of 37 | #5,399 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 83.1% | #4 of 37 | #1,044 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 49.7% | #11 of 31 | #3,009 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside Providence
Since 2017-18, the 33 district schools that reported both years went from 19,942 to 18,767 students (down 6%) and from 1,336 to 1,222 full-time teachers (down 9%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
About Providence
As a large district in Rhode Island, Providence hosts 20,645 students across 41 schools.
Looking at the level breakdown, Providence is made up of 20 elementary, 7 middle, 12 high schools, and 2 combined or other.
On a per-school basis, Providence runs about 504 students per school, 15% noticeably above the state mean of roughly 439.
Looking at the last 4 years. Across the same 4-year window, public-school enrollment declined 8%: 21,635 students in SY 2020-21 versus 19,816 in SY 2024-25. Providence now counts 37 public schools, down from 39 in SY 2020-21.
In the discussion threads here, the community for Providence discusses school events, board meetings, and seasonal calendars. Anyone with firsthand knowledge of these schools is welcome to weigh in.