Enrollment
1,966
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Dearborn, MI
Fordson High School
Federal NCES profile for Fordson High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 261160004591
👥 S:T ratio 34
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fordson High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. It is also one of the largest schools in Michigan.
- #2 of 6
- high schools in Dearborn · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.5:1
- students per teacher
- 83.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Fordson High School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fordson High School ranks #2 of 6 high schools in Dearborn, MI.
School address
District: Dearborn City School District · Michigan
NCES ID 261160004591 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
119.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
83.6%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fordson High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fordson High School
Fordson High School is a high-poverty, large high school in Dearborn, Michigan, enrolling 1,966 students.
At 16.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Michigan median, within a few percentage points of the 17.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 83.6% of students qualify for free meals, 54% above the Michigan average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Michigan, bigger than 99% of state schools at 1,966 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 4/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 28 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 328 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Dearborn City School District spends $16,677 per pupil, 23% above the Michigan average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 21.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Dearborn's high schools, it stands alongside Henry Ford Early Collegeadvanced Manufacturing (422 students): Fordson High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.5:1 vs 84.4:1).
Dearborn City School District also operates Dearborn High School (1,775 students) and Edsel Ford High School (1,502 students) alongside Fordson High 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 Fordson High School compares
Fordson High 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 | 16.5:1 | ▼ 6% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 83.6% | ▲ 54% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,966 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,966
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
83.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 48% in Michigan - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
43.6%
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
$16,677
per pupil, district-wide
- above Michigan avg of $13,507
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 328 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
182
in-school suspensions + 126 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 97.8%
African American 1.1%
Hispanic or Latino 0.6%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Two or More 0.1%
Largest group: White at 97.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 4.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 4.3, Fordson High School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 28
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dearborn City School District, which includes Fordson High School.
$16,677
Per student
+23%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.9%
State 52.7%
Federal 21.4%
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 Fordson High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dearborn High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Edsel Ford High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bryant Middle School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Woodworth Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Stout Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fordson High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,775
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,502
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 781
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 699
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 698
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
Similar high schools in Dearborn
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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.
Similar enrollment (~1,966 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fordson High School's federal record.
- Compare Fordson High School against another school. Compare schools
- Dearborn City School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Fordson High School
How many students attend Fordson High School?
Fordson High School has 1,966 students enrolled. It is a high school in Dearborn, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fordson High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Fordson High School is 16.5:1, which is 6% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Fordson High School?
83.6% of students at Fordson High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fordson High School?
The largest demographic group at Fordson High School is White at 97.8% of enrollment, in Dearborn, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fordson High School?
Fordson High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Fordson High School rank among high schools in Dearborn?
By Resource Investment Index, Fordson High School ranks #2 of 6 high schools in Dearborn, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Dearborn on the city page.
Is Fordson High School a good school?
Fordson High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. It is also one of the largest schools in Michigan. 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 Dearborn City School District?
Besides Fordson High School, Dearborn City School District also operates Dearborn High School (1,775 students), Edsel Ford High School (1,502 students), and Bryant Middle School (781 students). See the Dearborn City School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.