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Ferndale, Michigan - 6 schools
An equity score of 44/100 ranks Ferndale Public Schools #431 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,463 per pupil, Ferndale Public Schools ranks #286 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,131
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$13,463
Per-Pupil Spending
High, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Ferndale Public Schools operates 6 public schools serving 3,131 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 high, 2 elementary, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Oakland County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,463 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending. See how Michigan compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 33.0% local, 56.0% state, and 11.0% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 44/100, ranked #431 of 707 in Michigan against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (25 AP courses district-wide), a 319.1:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 44.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 62.7% African American, 28.3% White, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus, with a diversity index of 61.5/100.
Its largest campus is Ferndale High School, enrolling 739 students (24% of the district's total enrollment).
Ferndale High School accounts for 23.6% of all Ferndale Public Schools student enrollment
That concentration means Ferndale Public Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Ferndale Public Schools school enrollment varies 2.1× across entities
Ferndale Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 348 students (lowest) to 739 students (highest), a spread of 391 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Ferndale Public Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 62.5% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Ferndale Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 319:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Ferndale Public Schools is typically wider than the Ferndale Public Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Ferndale Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 44.8% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Ferndale Public Schools has 6 schools, including 3 high, 1 middle, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 3,131 students.
How much does Ferndale Public Schools spend per student?
Ferndale Public Schools spends $13,463 per student. The district has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #431 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Ferndale Public Schools?
Ferndale Public Schools students are 62.7% African American, 28.3% White, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% Asian, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Ferndale Public Schools?
Ferndale Public Schools has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #431 out of 707 districts in Michigan.