Enrollment
58
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 261644000893
John Ball Park Zoo School — Grand Rapids, MI
Federal NCES profile for John Ball Park Zoo School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 53
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 →
The verdict
John Ball Park Zoo School earns an F Resource Investment Index (28/100), with class sizes larger than 96% of Michigan schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 28/100
- 29.5:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 25.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 58
- students enrolled
School address
District: Grand Rapids 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)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
29.5:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+62% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.4%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How John Ball Park Zoo 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
John Ball Park Zoo School reports 58 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 2.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 29.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 62% 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 15.7:1, it is 88% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 25.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 53% below the Michigan average and 51% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Grand Rapids Public Schools spends $16,601 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $13,507 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 32.7% from local sources (property taxes), 45.7% from the state, and 21.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 John Ball Park Zoo 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 | 29.5:1 | ▲ 62% | 18.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.4% | ▼ 53% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 58 | top 9% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
30 smaller classes than 1% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
58 larger than 6% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
25.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 53% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
29.5:1
students per teacher
— 62% above state mean
Top 96% in Michigan — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
19.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,601
per pupil, district-wide
— above Michigan avg of $13,507
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 58 Top 9% in Michigan — larger than 91% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 2.0
Students per teacher 29.5:1 +62% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 25.4% -53% vs state
NCES ID 261644000893
Student demographics
White 81.0%
Two or More 10.3%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
African American 3.4%
Largest group: White at 81.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Grand Rapids Public Schools, which includes John Ball Park Zoo School.
$16,601
Per student
+23%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
+0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.7%
State 45.7%
Federal 21.6%
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
- 955
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 881
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 708
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 661
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 494
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
Similar middle schools in Grand Rapids
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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.
Before you act on this record
Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.
- Compare John Ball Park Zoo School side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
- Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide
Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently asked questions about John Ball Park Zoo School
How many students attend John Ball Park Zoo School?
John Ball Park Zoo School has 58 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Grand Rapids, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John Ball Park Zoo School?
The student-teacher ratio at John Ball Park Zoo School is 29.5:1, which is 62% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 88% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at John Ball Park Zoo School?
25.4% of students at John Ball Park Zoo School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of John Ball Park Zoo School?
The largest demographic group at John Ball Park Zoo School is White at 81.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Grand Rapids, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for John Ball Park Zoo School?
John Ball Park Zoo School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is John Ball Park Zoo School a good school?
John Ball Park Zoo School earns an F Resource Investment Index (28/100), with class sizes larger than 96% of Michigan schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.