Middle school (grades 6-8) · Ada, MI

Eastern Middle School

Federal NCES profile for Eastern Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 261461001661
0/100100/10042/100
👥 S:T ratio
24
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
36
📋 Attendance
37
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Eastern Middle School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of Michigan schools.

#1 of 7
public schools in Ada · Resource Index
42
Resource Index · Typical
18.9:1
large classes for Michigan
11.8%
free-lunch eligible

Eastern Middle School has class sizes larger than 72% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Eastern Middle School ranks #1 of 7 public schools in Ada, MI.

Enrollment

528

Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

28.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

18.9:1

vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg

+8% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

11.8%

vs 54.3% Michigan avg

-78% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Eastern Middle School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Eastern Middle School

Eastern Middle School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Ada, Michigan, enrolling 528 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.

Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 11.8% free-meal eligibility runs 78% below the Michigan average.

Enrollment of 528 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.

Against 325 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #61.

Its student body is led by White (80%) and Asian (10%) (diversity index 35/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 318 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Forest Hills Public Schools also operates Northern High School (1,088 students) and Central High School (999 students) alongside Eastern 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 Eastern Middle School compares

Eastern 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 18.9:1 ▲ 8% 17.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 11.8% ▼ 78% 54.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 528 top 22% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

18.9:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
528
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
11.8%
free-lunch eligible - 78% 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
18.9:1
students per teacher - 8% above state mean
Top 72% in Michigan - lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.2%
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
$12,945
per pupil, district-wide - below Michigan avg of $13,507
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.7 FTE
Per 318 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
36
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.7 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 79.9%
Asian 10.4%
Two or More 4.5%
Hispanic or Latino 4.0%
African American 1.1%

Largest group: White at 79.9% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 34.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 34.7, Eastern Middle School is about as mixed as the Michigan school average of 36.2.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forest Hills Public Schools, which includes Eastern Middle School.

$12,945
Per student
-4%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.7%
State 52.0%
Federal 5.4%

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 Eastern Middle School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Northern High School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Central High School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Eastern High School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Northern Trails 56 School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Knapp Forest Elementary School Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Eastern Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Forest Hills Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Eastern Middle School's federal record.

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 Eastern Middle School

How many students attend Eastern Middle School?

Eastern Middle School has 528 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Ada, MI.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Eastern Middle School?

The student-teacher ratio at Eastern Middle School is 18.9:1, which is 8% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Eastern Middle School?

11.8% of students at Eastern Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Eastern Middle School?

The largest demographic group at Eastern Middle School is White at 79.9% of enrollment, in Ada, MI.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Eastern Middle School?

Eastern Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Eastern Middle School rank among public schools in Ada?

By Resource Investment Index, Eastern Middle School ranks #1 of 7 public schools in Ada, 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 Ada on the city page.

Is Eastern Middle School a good school?

Eastern Middle School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% 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 Forest Hills Public Schools?

Besides Eastern Middle School, Forest Hills Public Schools also operates Northern High School (1,088 students), Central High School (999 students), and Eastern High School (768 students). See the Forest Hills Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.