Enrollment
658
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 180363000534
Jefferson Middle School — Fort Wayne, IN
Federal NCES profile for Jefferson Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 38
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: Fort Wayne Community Schools · Indiana
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)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.1:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.2%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jefferson Middle School compares with Indiana 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
Jefferson Middle School reports 658 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% above the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 8% 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 7% above the Indiana average and 3% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 658 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fort Wayne Community Schools spends $15,804 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.4% from local sources (property taxes), 56.6% from the state, and 21.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Jefferson Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.1:1 | ▲ 6% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.2% | ▲ 7% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 658 | top 79% | — | — |
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
— 7% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.1:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 73% in Indiana — lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.9%
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
$15,804
per pupil, district-wide
— above Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 658 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 658 Top 79% in Indiana — larger than 21% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 17.1:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 53.2% +7% vs state
NCES ID 180363000534
Student demographics
White 52.0%
Hispanic or Latino 17.2%
African American 15.3%
Two or More 10.6%
Asian 4.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 52.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 658:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.9%
In-school suspensions 10
Out-of-school suspensions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fort Wayne Community Schools, which includes Jefferson Middle School.
$15,804
Per student
+9%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.4%
State 56.6%
Federal 21.1%
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
- 2,145
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,927
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,405
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,398
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,383
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
Similar middle schools in Fort Wayne
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Woodside Middle School
Standard public school
1,032 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Maple Creek Middle School
Standard public school
1,024 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Carroll Middle School
Standard public school
1,004 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Blackhawk Middle School
Standard public school
814 students 17:1 students per teacher
Summit Middle School
Standard public school
789 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Lane Middle School
Standard public school
644 students 15.1:1 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 Jefferson Middle School
How many students attend Jefferson Middle School?
Jefferson Middle School has 658 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Fort Wayne, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jefferson Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Jefferson Middle School is 17.1:1, which is 6% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Jefferson Middle School?
53.2% of students at Jefferson Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jefferson Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Jefferson Middle School is White at 52.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fort Wayne, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jefferson Middle School?
Jefferson Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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.