The student population at Northern Essex Community College is 4,721 (all undergraduate). The number of students has decreased by 1,907 (28.77%) over the past decade.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 58 male students for every 100 female students, down from 63 in 2015.
- 999 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 42.92% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 5,155 where 4,721 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 3 year-over-year increases and 6 decreases. It peaked at 6,628 students in 2016 and was lowest at 4,339 in 2023. Overall, enrollment dropped from 6,628 to 4,721 students, a net loss of 1,907 (28.8%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Northern Essex Community College since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 35.59% and the percentage of black students is 5.68% at Northern Essex Community College. 2.18% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 48.91% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 50.32% to 35.59%. Asian enrollment grew from 2.04% to 2.18%. Black student enrollment increased from 3.73% to 5.68%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 38.77% to 48.91%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.6299 which indicates that moderately diverse. This increased from 0.5945 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Northern Essex Community College over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
999 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 21% of total students. The number of online students has increased 42.92% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Northern Essex Community College from 2015 to 2025.