Enrollment
437
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 120087007782
Ferrell Middle Magnet School — Tampa, FL
Federal NCES profile for Ferrell Middle Magnet School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 33
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: Hillsborough · Florida
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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.8%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ferrell Middle Magnet School compares with Florida 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
Ferrell Middle Magnet School reports 437 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% below the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. 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: 60.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 17% above the Florida average and 17% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 437 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hillsborough spends $11,744 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 43.2% from local sources (property taxes), 40.7% from the state, and 16.1% 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 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 Ferrell Middle Magnet School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Florida state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.6:1 | ▼ 9% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.8% | ▲ 17% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 437 | top 32% | — | — |
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
60.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 17% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.6:1
students per teacher
— 9% below state mean
Top 48% in Florida — lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
27.0%
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
$11,744
per pupil, district-wide
— below Florida avg of $12,756
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 437 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
46
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 437 Top 32% in Florida — larger than 68% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 16.6:1 -9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 60.8% +17% vs state
NCES ID 120087007782
Student demographics
African American 39.6%
Hispanic or Latino 33.4%
White 16.9%
Two or More 6.4%
Asian 3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 39.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 437:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.0%
In-school suspensions 46
Out-of-school suspensions 30
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hillsborough, which includes Ferrell Middle Magnet School.
$11,744
Per student
-8%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 43.2%
State 40.7%
Federal 16.1%
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
- 5,748
- Students per teacher
- 36.1:1
- Enrollment
- 3,602
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Enrollment
- 3,157
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,863
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,572
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
Similar middle schools in Tampa
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Farnell Middle School
Standard public school
1,184 students 21.7:1 students per teacher
Memorial Middle School
Standard public school
973 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Davidsen Middle School
Standard public school
969 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Buchanan Middle School
Standard public school
928 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
Benito Middle School
Standard public school
903 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Coleman Middle School
Standard public school
860 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
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 Ferrell Middle Magnet School
How many students attend Ferrell Middle Magnet School?
Ferrell Middle Magnet School has 437 students enrolled. It is a middle school in TAMPA, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ferrell Middle Magnet School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ferrell Middle Magnet School is 16.6:1, which is 9% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 4% 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 Ferrell Middle Magnet School?
60.8% of students at Ferrell Middle Magnet School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ferrell Middle Magnet School?
The largest demographic group at Ferrell Middle Magnet School is African American at 39.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in TAMPA, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ferrell Middle Magnet School?
Ferrell Middle Magnet School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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.