West Massachusetts News

There were 736 African American students enrolled in Berkshire County districts in the 2022-23 school year, 3.4% more than the previous year, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Data showed that Berkshire County districts welcomed a total of 14,248 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, African American pupils comprised 5.2% of the student body to be the fourth most represented ethnicity in the county districts.

Among the 16 districts in Berkshire County, Pittsfield Public Schools recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 589 students.

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

Students in Massachusetts are predominantly white, making up 53% of the student population in the state. Hispanic students come in second, representing over 25% of Massachusetts' student body.

However, across the state, Hispanic and Native American 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	% of African American Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
Berkshire Hills Regional School District	2%	1,169
Central Berkshire Regional School District	0.7%	1,537
Clarksburg School district	0%	189
Farmington River Regional School District	0%	120
Florida School District	0%	92
Hancock Public Schools	3.4%	59
Hoosac Valley Regional School District	2.5%	986
Lee Public Schools	0.8%	666
Lenox Public Schools	0.8%	770
Mount Greylock Regional School District	3.3%	1,198
North Adams Public Schools	2.1%	1,208
Northern Berkshire Regional Vocational Technical School District	0.9%	537
Pittsfield Public Schools	12%	4,909
Richmond School District	1.3%	154
Savoy Public School District	2.5%	40
Southern Berkshire Regional School District	0.7%	614