Enrollment
841
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 240066001263
E. Russell Hicks Middle — Hagerstown, MD
Federal NCES profile for E. Russell Hicks Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 16
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: Washington County Public Schools · Maryland
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)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 14.4:1 Maryland avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.0%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How E. Russell Hicks Middle compares with Maryland 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
E. Russell Hicks Middle reports 841 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 50.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% above the Maryland state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 66.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% above the Maryland average and 27% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 280 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Washington County Public Schools spends $17,101 per pupil district-wide, below the Maryland average of $22,498 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.0% from local sources (property taxes), 53.7% from the state, and 15.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), 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 E. Russell Hicks Middle compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Maryland state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.5:1 | ▲ 15% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.0% | ▲ 35% | 49.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 841 | top 81% | — | — |
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
66.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% above the Maryland average of 49.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 80% in Maryland — lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
33.5%
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
$17,101
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maryland avg of $22,498
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 280 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
30
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 841 Top 81% in Maryland — larger than 19% of 1,383 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 50.0
Students per teacher 16.5:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 66.0% +35% vs state
NCES ID 240066001263
Student demographics
White 35.4%
Hispanic or Latino 25.2%
African American 22.6%
Two or More 14.3%
Asian 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 35.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 280:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.5%
In-school suspensions 30
Out-of-school suspensions 15
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Washington County Public Schools, which includes E. Russell Hicks Middle.
$17,101
Per student
-24%
vs Maryland
Avg $22,498
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 31.0%
State 53.7%
Federal 15.3%
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
- 1,690
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,583
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,061
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 883
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 841
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
Similar middle schools in Hagerstown
2 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 E. Russell Hicks Middle
How many students attend E. Russell Hicks Middle?
E. Russell Hicks Middle has 841 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Hagerstown, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at E. Russell Hicks Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at E. Russell Hicks Middle is 16.5:1, which is 15% higher than the Maryland average of 14.4:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at E. Russell Hicks Middle?
66.0% of students at E. Russell Hicks Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of E. Russell Hicks Middle?
The largest demographic group at E. Russell Hicks Middle is White at 35.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Hagerstown, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for E. Russell Hicks Middle?
E. Russell Hicks Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) 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.