Enrollment
252
Elementary
DISTRICT 310 · STATE 332
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NORTH PROVIDENCE·NCES 440078000182
Joseph A. Whelan School
1440 Mineral Spring Avenue, North Providence, RI 02904 · (401) 233-1180 · Providence County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL252 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 8% of Rhode Island public elementary schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ·Beats expectations Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Rhode Island public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
19 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.6:1 · STATE 13.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
59%
148 students
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 54%
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 | 33 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 47 | 19% |
| Grade 2 | 26 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 47 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 49 | 19% |
| Grade 5 | 50 | 20% |
This year's kindergarten class (33) is 34% smaller than its 5th grade class (50).
Student demographics
70%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 68% · STATE 64% · 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
RICAS + NGSA 2024-25 . % Meeting or Exceeding ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
16.8%
RI avg 34.2%
Math
13.1%
RI avg 32.8%
What this means: On the RICAS + NGSA, Rhode Island's statewide test, about 17 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 13 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Rhode Island schools, those numbers are about 34 and 33.
Source: RICAS + NGSA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Schools most like Joseph A. Whelan School
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph A. Whelan School this school | 252 | 58.7% | N/A |
| Kent Heights School East Providence | 251 | 56.2% | N/A |
| Centredale School North Providence | 221 | 60.6% | N/A |
| Orlo Avenue School East Providence | 245 | 64.5% | N/A |
| Kevin K. Coleman School Woonsocket | 256 | 67.2% | N/A |
| Agnes B. Hennessey School East Providence | 242 | 66.1% | N/A |
Matched among Rhode Island elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Joseph A. Whelan School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Rhode Island | In Providence County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 13.1% | #154 of 166 | #94 of 105 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 16.8% | #146 of 166 | #85 of 105 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 252 | #131 of 179 | #86 of 112 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.3:1 | #81 of 168 | #45 of 106 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 70.0% | #4 of 159 | #4 of 97 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 58.7% | #75 of 176 | #68 of 111 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -4.5% | #83 of 99 | #44 of 55 |
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
252
-5 (-2%) vs 2020
-5% since 1990-91, when it was 266
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
was 19.8:1
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 | 252 | 19 | 13.3:1 | 59% (148) |
| 2023-24 | 245 | 20 | 12.3:1 | 43% (105) |
| 2022-23 | 247 | 20.1 | 12.3:1 | 44% (108) |
| 2020-21 | 257 | 13 | 19.8:1 | 53% (136) |
| 2017-18 | 264 | 17.4 | 15.2:1 | 48% (127) |
| 2015-16 | 261 | 16 | 16.3:1 | 34% (90) |
| 2010-11 | 199 | 20 | 9.9:1 | 26% (51) |
| 2000-01 | 281 | 15 | 18.7:1 | 22% (61) |
| 1990-91 | 266 | 20 | 13.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Joseph A. Whelan School.
Since 2017-18: students down 5% (264 to 252); teachers up 9% (17.4 to 19).
About Joseph A. Whelan School
Joseph A. Whelan School is a low-enrollment elementary school in Rhode Island, located in North Providence. Its grade span covers kindergarten through 5, with 252 students on the rolls. On average, elementary schools in Rhode Island enroll around 332, and this school is 24% below that mark.
Besides Joseph A. Whelan School, North Providence runs 7 other schools. The district enrolls 3,401 students.
About 44% of students at Joseph A. Whelan School are White, the largest single group. After that, the student body is 26% Hispanic, 15% Black, 9% multiracial, and 3% Asian. Among all residents of Providence County, the White share is about 60%. A diversity index of 70% means there is a 70% chance two randomly chosen students at Joseph A. Whelan School are from different groups.
Staffing at Joseph A. Whelan School comes to 19 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 13.3:1. It is about the same as the 13.6:1 average for elementary schools in Rhode Island. On the income side, 59% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
On the allk12 Grade, Joseph A. Whelan School lands at D, ahead of 8% of Rhode Island public elementary schools.
The county, Providence County, is where the school is located. The median household earns about $78,787 a year, 32% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Providence County's 206 public schools enroll about 88,799 students and include Joseph A. Whelan School.
Joseph A. Whelan School is about 0.5 miles from Birchwood Middle School, its nearest public school. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles.
The federal government classifies Joseph A. Whelan School's location as Suburb: Large.
Enrollment was essentially flat over 4 years: 257 in 2020-21, 252 in 2024-25. By 2024-25, the school had 13.3 students per teacher, compared with 19.8 in 2020-21.
Joseph A. Whelan School has a community page on allk12 for topics such as pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Providence County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
664,854
Census ACS
Median income
$78,787
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
32%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
206
88,799 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in North Providence
- North Providence HighHigh · 1,085 students
- Birchwood Middle SchoolMiddle · 390 students
- Stephen Olney SchoolElementary · 388 students
- James L. McGuire SchoolElementary · 384 students
- Dr. Edward Ricci SchoolMiddle · 378 students
- Greystone SchoolElementary · 303 students
Other schools in North Providence
- North Providence HighHigh · 1,085 students
- Birchwood Middle SchoolMiddle · 390 students
- Stephen Olney SchoolElementary · 388 students
- James L. McGuire SchoolElementary · 384 students
- Dr. Edward Ricci SchoolMiddle · 378 students
- Excel Academy Rhode IslandMiddle · 312 students
Nearby schools
- Birchwood Middle School0.5 mi · 390
- Stephen Olney School0.6 mi · 388
- E-Cubed Academy0.9 mi · 338
- North Providence High1.0 mi · 1,085
- Veazie Street School1.1 mi · 440
- R.I. School for the Deaf1.3 mi · 77
Frequently asked questions
About Joseph A. Whelan SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Joseph A. Whelan School?
Joseph A. Whelan School enrolls approximately 252 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does Joseph A. Whelan School serve?
Joseph A. Whelan School serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Joseph A. Whelan School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Joseph A. Whelan School is approximately 13.3:1 (19 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Joseph A. Whelan School?
At Joseph A. Whelan School, the student body is approximately 44% White, 26% Hispanic, 15% Black, 3% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Is Joseph A. Whelan School public or private?
Joseph A. Whelan School is a public K-12 school, overseen by North Providence.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.