Enrollment
973
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Sunbury, OH
Big Walnut Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Big Walnut Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 390467402639
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Big Walnut Middle School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Ohio schools.
- #5 of 7
- public schools in Sunbury · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 26.3:1
- large classes for Ohio
- 10.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Big Walnut Middle School has class sizes larger than 94% of Ohio schools. Computed live against every Ohio school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Big Walnut Middle School ranks #5 of 7 public schools in Sunbury, OH.
School address
District: Big Walnut Local · Ohio
NCES ID 390467402639 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.3:1
vs 18.2:1 Ohio avg
+45% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.9%
vs 31.6% Ohio avg
-66% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Big Walnut Middle School compares with Ohio and U.S. medians
What stands out at Big Walnut Middle School
Big Walnut Middle School is a lower-poverty, large middle school in Sunbury, Ohio, enrolling 973 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26.3:1 is larger than about 94% of Ohio schools and 45% above the 18.2:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 10.9% free-meal eligibility runs 66% below the Ohio average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Ohio, bigger than 94% of state schools at 973 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,574 scored Ohio schools.
Against 300 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #200.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 487 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Big Walnut Local also operates Big Walnut High School (1,299 students) and Big Walnut Intermediate School (663 students) alongside Big Walnut Middle School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Big Walnut Middle School compares
Big Walnut Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Ohio and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 26.3:1 | ▲ 45% | 18.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.9% | ▼ 66% | 31.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 973 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26.3:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
973
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
10.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 66% below the Ohio average of 31.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
26.3:1
students per teacher
- 45% above state mean
Top 94% in Ohio - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
10.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,810
per pupil, district-wide
- below Ohio avg of $14,655
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 487 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 85.7%
Two or More 5.5%
Hispanic or Latino 4.9%
Asian 2.2%
African American 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 85.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.9, Big Walnut Middle School is less mixed than the Ohio school average of 35.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Big Walnut Local, which includes Big Walnut Middle School.
$11,810
Per student
-19%
vs Ohio
Avg $14,655
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 76.4%
State 16.9%
Federal 6.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Big Walnut Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Walnut High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Big Walnut Intermediate School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Prairie Run Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| General Rosecrans Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Big Walnut Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Big Walnut Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,299
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 663
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 296
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 295
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Ohio, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~973 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Big Walnut Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Big Walnut Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Big Walnut Local's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Big Walnut Middle School
How many students attend Big Walnut Middle School?
Big Walnut Middle School has 973 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Sunbury, OH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Big Walnut Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Big Walnut Middle School is 26.3:1, which is 45% higher than the Ohio average of 18.2:1 and 68% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Big Walnut Middle School?
10.9% of students at Big Walnut Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Ohio average of 31.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Big Walnut Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Big Walnut Middle School is White at 85.7% of enrollment, in Sunbury, OH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Big Walnut Middle School?
Big Walnut Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Big Walnut Middle School rank among public schools in Sunbury?
By Resource Investment Index, Big Walnut Middle School ranks #5 of 7 public schools in Sunbury, OH. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Sunbury on the city page.
Is Big Walnut Middle School a good school?
Big Walnut Middle School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Ohio schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Big Walnut Local?
Besides Big Walnut Middle School, Big Walnut Local also operates Big Walnut High School (1,299 students), Big Walnut Intermediate School (663 students), and Prairie Run Elementary School (352 students). See the Big Walnut Local district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.