West Massachusetts News

The majority of students in Hampshire County school districts were white in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Of the 15,813 students attending classes within Hampshire County school districts, 75.9% were white. Hispanic students made up the second largest ethnic group among Hampshire County's school districts, making up 13.1% of the student body.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common ethnicity in Hampshire County school districts, representing 76.7% of the student body.

Amherst Public Schools had the most even distribution of races among county school districts, which included 45.3% of white students, 23.6% of Hispanic students, 11.1% of African American students, 10.9% of Asian students, 8.3% of multiracial students, and 0.1% of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in school districts in the county dropped by 1% compared to the previous year.

The main offices of all school districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Hampshire County.

Students in Massachusetts are predominantly white, according to state data from 2020. 35% of students were considered people of color.

Across the state, Hispanic and Latino students suffered the highest high school dropout rates.

Underrepresentation is also found among educators in Massachusetts. The Rennie Center reported that only 9% of teachers are people of color.

District	Most Prevalent Ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Amherst Public Schools	White	45.3%	1,050
Amherst-Pelham Regional Public Schools	White	56.7%	1,230
Belchertown Public Schools	White	84.8%	2,125
Chesterfield-Goshen Regional School District	White	95.9%	145
Easthampton Public School District	White	75.9%	1,413
Gateway Regional School District	White	91.1%	775
Granby Public Schools	White	83%	718
Hadley Public Schools	White	76.7%	494
Hampshire Regional School District	White	89.9%	662
Hatfield Public Schools	White	93%	345
Northampton Public Schools	White	69.5%	2,573
Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural School District	White	82.9%	566
Pelham School District	White	71.8%	131
South Hadley Public Schools	White	76%	1,678
Southampton Public Schools	White	89.3%	477
Ware Public Schools	White	79.1%	1,124
Westhampton School District	White	90.4%	104
Williamsburg School District	White	92.9%	127
Worthington School District	White	90.8%	76