Enrollment
651
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 262346006020
Julian O Strong Middle School — Melvindale, MI
Federal NCES profile for Julian O Strong Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 13/100.
👥 Class size 22
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
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: Melvindale-Northern Allen Park 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)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.6:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
83.1%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Julian O Strong Middle 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
Julian O Strong Middle School reports 651 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% 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 15.9:1, it is 23% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 83.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 53% above the Michigan average and 60% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 651 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 44.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Melvindale-Northern Allen Park Schools spends $16,185 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.3% from local sources (property taxes), 55.1% from the state, and 25.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 13/100 (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 Julian O Strong Middle 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 | 19.6:1 | ▲ 8% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 83.1% | ▲ 53% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 651 | top 86% | — | — |
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
83.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 53% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.6:1
students per teacher
— 8% above state mean
Top 77% in Michigan — lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
44.2%
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
$16,185
per pupil, district-wide
— above Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 651 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
133
in-school suspensions + 111 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 20.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 37.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 651 Top 86% in Michigan — larger than 14% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 19.6:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 83.1% +53% vs state
NCES ID 262346006020
Student demographics
White 71.0%
Hispanic or Latino 19.0%
African American 8.3%
Two or More 0.9%
Asian 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 71.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 651:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 44.2%
In-school suspensions 133
Out-of-school suspensions 111
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Melvindale-Northern Allen Park Schools, which includes Julian O Strong Middle School.
$16,185
Per student
+2%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.3%
State 55.1%
Federal 25.6%
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
- 982
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Enrollment
- 914
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Enrollment
- 436
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
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 Julian O Strong Middle School
How many students attend Julian O Strong Middle School?
Julian O Strong Middle School has 651 students enrolled. It is a middle school in MELVINDALE, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Julian O Strong Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Julian O Strong Middle School is 19.6:1, which is 8% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 23% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Julian O Strong Middle School?
83.1% of students at Julian O Strong Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Julian O Strong Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Julian O Strong Middle School is White at 71.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in MELVINDALE, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Julian O Strong Middle School?
Julian O Strong Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 13/100 (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.