Enrollment
528
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 261428001282
Ferndale Middle School — Ferndale, MI
Federal NCES profile for Ferndale Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 27/100.
👥 Class size 26
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 5
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
18.6:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.9%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ferndale Middle 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 Middle School reports 528 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% above the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 17% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 55.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% above the Michigan average and 8% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 264 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.1% 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 27/100 (F), 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 Ferndale Middle 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 | 18.6:1 | ▲ 2% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.9% | ▲ 3% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 528 | top 78% | — | — |
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
55.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.6:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 68% in Michigan — lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.1%
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 264 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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 528 Top 78% in Michigan — larger than 22% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 18.6:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 55.9% +3% vs state
NCES ID 261428001282
Student demographics
African American 54.7%
White 35.4%
Two or More 6.6%
Hispanic or Latino 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 54.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 264:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ferndale Public Schools, which includes Ferndale Middle 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
- 739
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- 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
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 Middle School
How many students attend Ferndale Middle School?
Ferndale Middle School has 528 students enrolled. It is a middle school in FERNDALE, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ferndale Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ferndale Middle School is 18.6:1, which is 2% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ferndale Middle School?
55.9% of students at Ferndale Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ferndale Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Ferndale Middle School is African American at 54.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in FERNDALE, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ferndale Middle School?
Ferndale Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (F) 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.