Enrollment
888
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Commerce Township, MI
Clifford H Smart Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Clifford H Smart Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 263516007072
👥 S:T ratio 13
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 27
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Clifford H Smart Middle School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Michigan schools.
- #7 of 10
- public schools in Commerce Township · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.7:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 19.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Clifford H Smart Middle School has class sizes larger than 87% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Clifford H Smart Middle School ranks #7 of 10 public schools in Commerce Township, MI.
School address
District: Walled Lake Consolidated Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 263516007072 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.7:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.8%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Clifford H Smart Middle School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Clifford H Smart Middle School
Clifford H Smart Middle School is a lower-poverty, large middle school in Commerce Township, Michigan, enrolling 888 students.
Class loads run heavy: 21.7:1 is larger than about 87% of Michigan schools and 24% above the 17.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 19.8% free-meal eligibility runs 64% below the Michigan average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Michigan, bigger than 94% of state schools at 888 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 247 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #148.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 296 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools also operates Walled Lake Northern High School (1,383 students) and Walled Lake Central High School (1,182 students) alongside Clifford H Smart 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 Clifford H Smart Middle School compares
Clifford H Smart Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.7:1 | ▲ 24% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.8% | ▼ 64% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 888 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.7:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
888
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 64% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
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
21.7:1
students per teacher
- 24% above state mean
Top 87% in Michigan - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
29.2%
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
$14,084
per pupil, district-wide
- above Michigan avg of $13,507
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 296 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
65
in-school suspensions + 56 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.6 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 83.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Two or More 4.8%
African American 2.9%
Asian 2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 83.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.2, Clifford H Smart Middle School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Walled Lake Consolidated Schools, which includes Clifford H Smart Middle School.
$14,084
Per student
+4%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.5%
State 50.6%
Federal 10.0%
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 Clifford H Smart Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walled Lake Northern High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Walled Lake Central High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Walled Lake Western High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Walnut Creek Middle School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| James R Geisler Middle School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Clifford H Smart Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,383
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 1,182
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,033
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 641
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 620
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Michigan, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~888 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Clifford H Smart Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Clifford H Smart Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Walled Lake Consolidated Schools'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 Clifford H Smart Middle School
How many students attend Clifford H Smart Middle School?
Clifford H Smart Middle School has 888 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Commerce Township, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Clifford H Smart Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Clifford H Smart Middle School is 21.7:1, which is 24% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Clifford H Smart Middle School?
19.8% of students at Clifford H Smart Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Clifford H Smart Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Clifford H Smart Middle School is White at 83.7% of enrollment, in Commerce Township, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Clifford H Smart Middle School?
Clifford H Smart Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Clifford H Smart Middle School rank among public schools in Commerce Township?
By Resource Investment Index, Clifford H Smart Middle School ranks #7 of 10 public schools in Commerce Township, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Commerce Township on the city page.
Is Clifford H Smart Middle School a good school?
Clifford H Smart Middle School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Michigan 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 Walled Lake Consolidated Schools?
Besides Clifford H Smart Middle School, Walled Lake Consolidated Schools also operates Walled Lake Northern High School (1,383 students), Walled Lake Central High School (1,182 students), and Walled Lake Western High School (1,033 students). See the Walled Lake Consolidated Schools 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.