Enrollment
545
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 020018000063
Central Middle School of Science — Anchorage, AK
Federal NCES profile for Central Middle School of Science, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 10
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 →
School address
District: Anchorage School District · Alaska
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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 20:1 Alaska avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.1%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Middle School of Science compares with Alaska 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
Central Middle School of Science reports 545 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% below the Alaska state mean of 20:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 80.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 30% above the Alaska average and 55% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 273 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Anchorage School District spends $18,698 per pupil district-wide, below the Alaska average of $36,093 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.8% from local sources (property taxes), 54.1% from the state, and 18.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Central Middle School of Science compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Alaska state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Alaska | Alaska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.7:1 | ▼ 12% | 20:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.1% | ▲ 30% | 61.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 545 | top 91% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
80.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 30% above the Alaska average of 61.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.7:1
students per teacher
— 12% below state mean
Top 72% in Alaska — lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
36.1%
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
$18,698
per pupil, district-wide
— below Alaska avg of $36,093
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 273 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
44
in-school suspensions + 48 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 545 Top 91% in Alaska — larger than 9% of 496 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 17.7:1 -12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 80.1% +30% vs state
NCES ID 020018000063
Student demographics
White 21.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 17.6%
Hispanic or Latino 15.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 14.3%
Two or More 12.1%
African American 11.0%
Asian 7.3%
Largest group: White at 21.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 273:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.1%
In-school suspensions 44
Out-of-school suspensions 48
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Anchorage School District, which includes Central Middle School of Science.
$18,698
Per student
-48%
vs Alaska
Avg $36,093
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.8%
State 54.1%
Federal 18.1%
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
- 1,702
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,636
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,518
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,431
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,373
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
Similar middle schools in Anchorage
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Romig Middle School
Standard public school
1,138 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Nicholas J. Begich Middle School
Standard public school
830 students 18:1 students per teacher
Hanshew Middle School
Standard public school
822 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Mears Middle School
Standard public school
733 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
Clark Middle School
Standard public school
713 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
Goldenview Middle School
Standard public school
626 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
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 Central Middle School of Science
How many students attend Central Middle School of Science?
Central Middle School of Science has 545 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Anchorage, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Middle School of Science?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Middle School of Science is 17.7:1, which is 12% lower than the Alaska average of 20:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Middle School of Science?
80.1% of students at Central Middle School of Science are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Middle School of Science?
The largest demographic group at Central Middle School of Science is White at 21.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Anchorage, AK.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Middle School of Science?
Central Middle School of Science has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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.