Enrollment
517
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 261428005076
Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus — Ferndale, MI
Federal NCES profile for Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 22/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 3
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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.1%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus 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 Lower Elementary Campus reports 517 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 47.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% below the Michigan average and 9% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.9% 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 22/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Lower Elementary Campus 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 | 16.4:1 | ▼ 10% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.1% | ▼ 13% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 517 | top 76% | — | — |
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
47.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% 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
16.4:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 43% in Michigan — lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.9%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 517 Top 76% in Michigan — larger than 24% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 16.4:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 47.1% -13% vs state
NCES ID 261428005076
Student demographics
White 50.5%
African American 34.8%
Two or More 7.0%
Hispanic or Latino 6.6%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 50.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ferndale Public Schools, which includes Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus.
$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
- 739
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 469
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Enrollment
- 348
- Students per teacher
- 31.5:1
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 Lower Elementary Campus
How many students attend Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus?
Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus has 517 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in FERNDALE, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus?
The student-teacher ratio at Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus is 16.4:1, which is 10% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 3% 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 Lower Elementary Campus?
47.1% of students at Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus?
The largest demographic group at Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus is White at 50.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in FERNDALE, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus?
Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.