Springfield City Wire

Among the many ethnicities represented in Hampden County's student body, the most prevalent ethnicity enrolled in the 2022-23 school year was Hispanic, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Of the 61,901 students attending classes within Hampden County school districts, 43.6% were Hispanic. White students made up the second largest ethnic group among Hampden County's school districts, making up 41.1% of the student body.

In the previous school year, Hispanic students were also the most common ethnicity in Hampden County school districts, representing 43% of the student body.

Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District, Monson Public Schools and Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical School District had the most diverse student body in the county, which included African American, Asian, Hispanic, white, Native American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and multiracial.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in school districts in the county dropped by 0.6% compared to the previous year.

The main offices of all school districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Hampden 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
Agawam Public Schools	White	79.1%	3,457
Chicopee Public Schools	White	45.5%	6,710
East Longmeadow Public Schools	White	73.8%	2,541
Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District	White	81.2%	2,859
Holyoke Public Schools	Hispanic	81.3%	4,943
Longmeadow Public Schools	White	74.3%	2,778
Ludlow Public Schools	White	79.3%	2,271
Monson Public Schools	White	86.1%	821
Palmer Public School District	White	74.3%	1,134
Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical School District	White	85.2%	640
Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District	White	88.6%	1,322
Springfield Public Schools	Hispanic	69%	23,721
West Springfield Public Schools	White	59.5%	3,868
Westfield Public Schools	White	71.5%	4,836