Enrollment
390
Rhode Island · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 440078000173
Birchwood Middle School — North Providence, RI
Federal NCES profile for Birchwood Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 36
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
The verdict
Birchwood Middle School earns an F Resource Investment Index (35/100), with class sizes near the Rhode Island median.
- F
- Resource Index · 35/100
- 12.2:1
- students per teacher
- 36.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 390
- students enrolled
School address
District: North Providence · Rhode Island
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 13.4:1 Rhode Island avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.1%
vs 39.6% Rhode Island avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Birchwood Middle School compares with Rhode Island and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Birchwood Middle School reports 390 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% below the Rhode Island state mean of 13.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 22% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 36.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% below the Rhode Island average and 30% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 390 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding North Providence spends $17,717 per pupil district-wide, below the Rhode Island average of $20,315 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 45.0% from local sources (property taxes), 44.5% from the state, and 10.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Birchwood Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Rhode Island state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Rhode Island | Rhode Island avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.2:1 | ▼ 9% | 13.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.1% | ▼ 9% | 39.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 390 | top 54% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
12 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 76% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
390 larger than 46% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
36.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 9% below the Rhode Island average of 39.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.2:1
students per teacher
— 9% below state mean
Top 34% in Rhode Island — lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
25.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,717
per pupil, district-wide
— below Rhode Island avg of $20,315
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 390 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 390 Top 54% in Rhode Island — larger than 46% of 309 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 12.2:1 -9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 36.1% -9% vs state
NCES ID 440078000173
Student demographics
White 47.2%
Hispanic or Latino 27.2%
African American 14.1%
Two or More 7.4%
Asian 3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 47.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 390:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.6%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North Providence, which includes Birchwood Middle School.
$17,717
Per student
-13%
vs Rhode Island
Avg $20,315
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.0%
State 44.5%
Federal 10.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,085
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Enrollment
- 388
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 384
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 378
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 303
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
Similar middle schools in North Providence
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Birchwood Middle School
How many students attend Birchwood Middle School?
Birchwood Middle School has 390 students enrolled. It is a middle school in North Providence, RI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Birchwood Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Birchwood Middle School is 12.2:1, which is 9% lower than the Rhode Island average of 13.4:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Birchwood Middle School?
36.1% of students at Birchwood Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Rhode Island average of 39.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Birchwood Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Birchwood Middle School is White at 47.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in North Providence, RI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Birchwood Middle School?
Birchwood Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Birchwood Middle School a good school?
Birchwood Middle School earns an F Resource Investment Index (35/100), with class sizes near the Rhode Island median. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.