The majority of students in Barnstable County school districts were white in the 2024-25 school year, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Of the 21,136 students attending classes within Barnstable County school districts, 67.5% were white. Hispanic students made up the second largest ethnic group among Barnstable County’s school districts, making up 15.2% of the student body.
In the previous school year, white students were also the most common ethnicity in Barnstable County school districts, representing 69.2% of the student body.
Barnstable Public Schools had the most even distribution of races among the county school districts, which included 47.3% white students, 32.8% Hispanic, 9.7% Black, 7.6% multiracial, 2.1% Asian, 0.4% Native American, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students.
In the 2024-25 school year, the total number of students enrolled in school districts in the county dropped by 0.8% compared to the previous year.
The main offices of all school districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Barnstable County.
Students in Massachusetts are predominantly white, according to state data from 2024. Hispanic and Latino students come in second, making up 25.1% of the state’s student body.
Across the state, Hispanic and Latino students suffered the highest high school dropout rates (4.4%) in the 2022-23 school year, while also recording the lowest graduation rates (78.9%) in Massachusetts in 2023.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable Public Schools | White | 47.3% | 4,680 |
| Bourne Public Schools | White | 80.2% | 1,519 |
| Brewster School District | White | 73.1% | 439 |
| Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical School District | White | 79.2% | 682 |
| Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District | White | 58.5% | 3,054 |
| Eastham School District | White | 69.5% | 177 |
| Falmouth Public Schools | White | 74.5% | 2,866 |
| Mashpee Public Schools | White | 67% | 1,386 |
| Monomoy Regional School District | White | 71.9% | 1,728 |
| Nauset Public Schools | White | 80.5% | 149 |
| Nauset Regional School District | White | 79.4% | 1,192 |
| Provincetown Public Schools | White | 53.3% | 152 |
| Sandwich Public Schools | White | 86.4% | 2,118 |
| Truro School District | White | 62.8% | 78 |
| Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical School District | White | 80.2% | 838 |
| Wellfleet School District | White | 75.6% | 78 |
