Enrollment
739
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 261428005072
Ferndale High School — Ferndale, MI
Federal NCES profile for Ferndale High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 30
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 0
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: Ferndale Public Schools · Michigan
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)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.4:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.2%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ferndale High School compares with Michigan 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
Ferndale High School reports 739 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 9% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 53.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 2% below the Michigan average and 3% above the national baseline. The school offers 22 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 370 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 51.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ferndale Public Schools spends $21,152 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.0% from local sources (property taxes), 56.0% from the state, and 11.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Ferndale High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Michigan state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.4:1 | ▼ 4% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.2% | ▼ 2% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 739 | top 89% | — | — |
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
53.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 2% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.4:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 55% in Michigan — lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
51.2%
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
$21,152
per pupil, district-wide
— above Michigan avg of $15,842
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 370 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 739 Top 89% in Michigan — larger than 11% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 17.4:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 53.2% -2% vs state
NCES ID 261428005072
Student demographics
African American 62.2%
White 26.4%
Two or More 7.2%
Hispanic or Latino 2.6%
Asian 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 62.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 22
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 370:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 51.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ferndale Public Schools, which includes Ferndale High School.
$21,152
Per student
+34%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.0%
State 56.0%
Federal 11.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 517
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 469
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Enrollment
- 348
- Students per teacher
- 31.5:1
Similar high schools in Ferndale
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Ferndale High School
How many students attend Ferndale High School?
Ferndale High School has 739 students enrolled. It is a high school in FERNDALE, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ferndale High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ferndale High School is 17.4:1, which is 4% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 9% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ferndale High School?
53.2% of students at Ferndale High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ferndale High School?
The largest demographic group at Ferndale High School is African American at 62.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in FERNDALE, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ferndale High School?
Ferndale High School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.