Enrollment
4,291
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Miami, FL
John a. Ferguson Senior High
Federal NCES profile for John a. Ferguson Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 120039004077
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
John a. Ferguson Senior High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Florida schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Florida.
- #32 of 37
- high schools in Miami · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 26.3:1
- large classes for Florida
- 42.9%
- free-lunch eligible
John a. Ferguson Senior High has class sizes larger than 94% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, John a. Ferguson Senior High ranks #32 of 37 high schools in Miami, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
163.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.3:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+48% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.9%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How John a. Ferguson Senior High compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at John a. Ferguson Senior High
John a. Ferguson Senior High is a large high school in Miami, Florida, enrolling 4,291 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26.3:1 is larger than about 94% of Florida schools and 48% above the 17.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 42.9% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Florida, bigger than 99% of state schools at 4,291 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 3,996 Florida schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 46 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #41, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 22 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 613 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Its district draws 19.5% 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 16 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Miami-Dade also operates Coral Reef Senior High School (3,399 students) and South Dade Senior High School (3,382 students) alongside John a. Ferguson Senior High.
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 John a. Ferguson Senior High compares
John a. Ferguson Senior High on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 26.3:1 | ▲ 48% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.9% | ▼ 18% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 4,291 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26.3:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
4,291
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
26.3:1
students per teacher
- 48% above state mean
Top 94% in Florida - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$12,258
per pupil, district-wide
- above Florida avg of $11,167
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 613 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
46
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 16 expulsions.
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
Hispanic or Latino 93.9%
White 3.0%
Asian 1.6%
African American 1.2%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 93.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.7, John a. Ferguson Senior High is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 22
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Miami-Dade, which includes John a. Ferguson Senior High.
$12,258
Per student
+10%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.2%
State 23.3%
Federal 19.5%
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 John a. Ferguson Senior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coral Reef Senior High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Dade Senior High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Miami Senior High School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hialeah Gardens Senior High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Barbara Goleman Senior High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to John a. Ferguson Senior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,399
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 3,382
- Students per teacher
- 27.7:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,100
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,009
- Students per teacher
- 28.4:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 2,973
- Students per teacher
- 27.5:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Florida, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~4,291 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on John a. Ferguson Senior High's federal record.
- Compare John a. Ferguson Senior High against another school. Compare schools
- Miami-Dade'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 John a. Ferguson Senior High
How many students attend John a. Ferguson Senior High?
John a. Ferguson Senior High has 4,291 students enrolled. It is a high school in Miami, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John a. Ferguson Senior High?
The student-teacher ratio at John a. Ferguson Senior High is 26.3:1, which is 48% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 68% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at John a. Ferguson Senior High?
42.9% of students at John a. Ferguson Senior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of John a. Ferguson Senior High?
The largest demographic group at John a. Ferguson Senior High is Hispanic or Latino at 93.9% of enrollment, in Miami, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for John a. Ferguson Senior High?
John a. Ferguson Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does John a. Ferguson Senior High rank among high schools in Miami?
By Resource Investment Index, John a. Ferguson Senior High ranks #32 of 37 high schools in Miami, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Miami on the city page.
Is John a. Ferguson Senior High a good school?
John a. Ferguson Senior High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Florida schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Florida. 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 Miami-Dade?
Besides John a. Ferguson Senior High, Miami-Dade also operates Coral Reef Senior High School (3,399 students), South Dade Senior High School (3,382 students), and Miami Senior High School (3,100 students). See the Miami-Dade 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.