Skip to content
ProPublica Donate
ProPublica Donate

The Fessenden School

250 WALTHAM ST, WEST NEWTON, MA 02465

Compared to its its local public school district, where the student body was predominantly white, this school had a higher share of such students during the 2019–20 school year.

Additionally, the school’s student body had less racial diversity than the district’s. What does this mean?

The Fessenden School (2019–20)
Newton School District (2019–20)
  • White
  • Black
  • Hisp.
  • Asian Am.
  • Am. Ind. / Ala. Nat.
  • Haw. / Pac. Isl.
  • Multi.
  • Not spec.

Sources: Private School Survey, Common Core of Data

Information about this school comes from the Private School Universe Survey, a national dataset collected by the National Center for Education Statistics since 1989 that is aimed at gathering information about private schools across the United States. The Fessenden School has completed the survey 15 times, most recently for the 2019–20 school year. As the information is reported by the school, there may be errors.

Demographics Over Time

The Fessenden School
Newton School District

Enrollment White Black Hisp. Asian Am. Am. Ind. / Ala. Nat. Haw. / Pac. Isl. Multi.
The Fessenden School 493 77.3% 4.1% 3.4% 9.5% 0.2% 0.0% 5.5%
Newton School District 12,587 61.3% 4.7% 7.6% 19.2% 0.1% 0.1% 7.0%

Sources: Private School Survey, Common Core of Data (2019–20)

Private School Survey Responses

School Year Enrollment White Black Hisp. Asian Am. Am. Ind. / Ala. Nat. Haw. / Pac. Isl. Multi. Teachers Student-Teacher Ratio
2019–2020 493 77.3% 4.1% 3.4% 9.5% 0.2% 0.0% 5.5% 79 6:1
2017–2018 506 77.3% 4.2% 3.4% 9.5% 0.2% 0.0% 5.5% 63 8:1
2015–2016 508 77.8% 3.5% 3.7% 8.7% 0.0% 0.0% 6.3% 82 6:1
2013–2014 485 79.6% 3.5% 5.4% 5.2% 0.0% 0.0% 6.4% 77 6:1
2011–2012 475 85.5% 4.2% 1.9% 3.8% 0.0% 0.0% 4.6% 66 7:1

Other Nearby Private Schools

School School Type Grades Religion Distance
Learning Prep School Special education 5th–12th Nonsectarian 0.98 mi.
Jewish Community Day School, Inc. d/b/a Jcds Bostons Regular elementary or secondary KG–8th Jewish 1.0 mi.
Dearborn Academy Special education 4th–12th Nonsectarian 1.28 mi.
Clearway School Special education 7th–12th Nonsectarian 1.33 mi.
St. Jude School Regular elementary or secondary PK–8th Roman Catholic 1.33 mi.

Report a Data Error

While ProPublica has worked to identify and correct obvious errors, some issues may persist. If you see an error in this school’s entry, please let us know.

About This Data

Where is this data from?

Most of the data we use comes from the National Center for Education Statistics’ Private School Universe Survey, which has aimed to gather information about U.S. private schools every other year since 1989. Because the regulation of private schools is handled differently by state, there is no comprehensive list of every private school in the country. The PSS attempts to approximate such a list using various sources, including state education departments, private school associations and religious organizations, and, in some areas, online yellow pages and local government offices.

What schools are included?

Why are private schools listed under public school districts?

What changes has ProPublica made?

More from Education

Read the latest education investigations from ProPublica.

Do you have information about private schools? Send us a tip.

Current site Current page