Enrollment
720
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Auburn, AL
Drake Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Drake Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 010021000041
👥 S:T ratio 18
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Drake Middle School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Alabama schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Alabama schools.
- #6 of 13
- public schools in Auburn · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.6:1
- large classes for Alabama
- 29.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Drake Middle School has class sizes larger than 87% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Drake Middle School ranks #6 of 13 public schools in Auburn, AL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.6:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.0%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Drake Middle School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Drake Middle School
Drake Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Auburn, Alabama, enrolling 720 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.6:1 is larger than about 87% of Alabama schools and 16% above the 17.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 29.0% free-meal eligibility runs 51% below the Alabama average.
Enrollment of 720 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 163 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #87.
Its student body is led by White (52%) and African American (19%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 360 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Auburn's middle schools, it stands alongside East Samford School (733 students): Drake Middle School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.6:1 vs 20.9:1).
Auburn City also operates Auburn High School (2,227 students) and Auburn Junior High School (1,491 students) alongside Drake 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 Drake Middle School compares
Drake Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Alabama and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.6:1 | ▲ 16% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.0% | ▼ 51% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 720 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.6:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
720
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% below the Alabama average of 58.8%
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
20.6:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 87% in Alabama - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
7.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$10,977
per pupil, district-wide
- below Alabama avg of $12,491
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 360 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
67
in-school suspensions + 43 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.3 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 52.1%
African American 19.0%
Asian 15.8%
Hispanic or Latino 8.2%
Two or More 4.9%
Largest group: White at 52.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.8, Drake Middle School is more mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Auburn City, which includes Drake Middle School.
$10,977
Per student
-12%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.7%
State 41.9%
Federal 6.4%
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 Drake Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Auburn Junior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Samford School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ogletree Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Auburn Early Education Center | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Drake Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,227
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,491
- Students per teacher
- 25.3:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 733
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 523
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 492
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar middle schools in Auburn
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Alabama, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~720 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Drake Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Drake Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Auburn City'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 Drake Middle School
How many students attend Drake Middle School?
Drake Middle School has 720 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Auburn, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Drake Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Drake Middle School is 20.6:1, which is 16% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 31% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Drake Middle School?
29.0% of students at Drake Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Drake Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Drake Middle School is White at 52.1% of enrollment, in Auburn, AL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Drake Middle School?
Drake Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Drake Middle School rank among public schools in Auburn?
By Resource Investment Index, Drake Middle School ranks #6 of 13 public schools in Auburn, AL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Auburn on the city page.
Is Drake Middle School a good school?
Drake Middle School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Alabama schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Alabama 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 Auburn City?
Besides Drake Middle School, Auburn City also operates Auburn High School (2,227 students), Auburn Junior High School (1,491 students), and East Samford School (733 students). See the Auburn City 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.