Enrollment
134
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Portsmouth, OH
Clay Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Clay 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 391002603646
👥 S:T ratio 64
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 37
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Clay Middle School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of Ohio schools.
- #1 of 6
- public schools in Portsmouth · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.9:1
- small classes for Ohio
- 72.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Clay Middle School has class sizes smaller than 96% of Ohio schools. Computed live against every Ohio school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Clay Middle School ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Portsmouth, OH.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.9:1
vs 18.2:1 Ohio avg
-51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.5%
vs 31.6% Ohio avg
+129% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Clay Middle School compares with Ohio and U.S. medians
What stands out at Clay Middle School
Clay Middle School is a higher-need, small middle school in Portsmouth, Ohio, enrolling 134 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.9:1, Clay Middle School is leaner than roughly 96% of Ohio schools and 51% under the state's 18.2:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 72.5% of students qualify for free meals, 129% above the Ohio average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 134 puts it in the smaller third of Ohio schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,574 scored Ohio schools.
Among 25 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Ohio schools statewide, it ranks #20, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 406 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 37 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 134 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Clay Local also operates Clay Elementary School (326 students) and Clay High School (145 students) alongside Clay 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 Clay Middle School compares
Clay 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 | 8.9:1 | ▼ 51% | 18.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.5% | ▲ 129% | 31.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 134 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.9:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
134
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
72.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 129% above the Ohio average of 31.6%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
8.9:1
students per teacher
- 51% below state mean
Top 4% in Ohio - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
25.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,697
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.6 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 90.3%
Two or More 6.0%
Hispanic or Latino 3.0%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 90.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.0, Clay Middle School is less mixed than the Ohio school average of 35.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Clay Local, which includes Clay Middle School.
$12,697
Per student
-13%
vs Ohio
Avg $14,655
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.9%
State 56.7%
Federal 10.4%
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 Clay Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clay High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Clay Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 326
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 145
- Students per teacher
- 5.2:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~134 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Clay Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Clay Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Clay 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 Clay Middle School
How many students attend Clay Middle School?
Clay Middle School has 134 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Portsmouth, OH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Clay Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Clay Middle School is 8.9:1, which is 51% lower than the Ohio average of 18.2:1 and 43% 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 Clay Middle School?
72.5% of students at Clay Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Ohio average of 31.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Clay Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Clay Middle School is White at 90.3% of enrollment, in Portsmouth, OH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Clay Middle School?
Clay 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 Clay Middle School rank among public schools in Portsmouth?
By Resource Investment Index, Clay Middle School ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Portsmouth, 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 Portsmouth on the city page.
Is Clay Middle School a good school?
Clay Middle School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% 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 Clay Local?
Besides Clay Middle School, Clay Local also operates Clay Elementary School (326 students) and Clay High School (145 students). See the Clay 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.