Enrollment
742
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 240069001306
Mardela Middle & High — Mardela Springs, MD
Federal NCES profile for Mardela Middle & High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 23
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: Wicomico County Public Schools · Maryland
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)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 14.4:1 Maryland avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.8%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mardela Middle & High compares with Maryland 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
Mardela Middle & High reports 742 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 52.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% below the Maryland state mean of 14.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 42.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% below the Maryland average and 17% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 371 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Wicomico County Public Schools spends $20,295 per pupil district-wide, below the Maryland average of $22,498 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.7% from local sources (property taxes), 66.2% from the state, and 14.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), 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 Mardela Middle & High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Maryland state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.3:1 | ▼ 8% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.8% | ▼ 13% | 49.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 742 | top 74% | — | — |
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
42.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.3:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 29% in Maryland — lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
30.6%
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
$20,295
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maryland avg of $22,498
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 371 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 56 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 742 Top 74% in Maryland — larger than 26% of 1,383 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 52.0
Students per teacher 13.3:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 42.8% -13% vs state
NCES ID 240069001306
Student demographics
White 74.5%
African American 10.5%
Two or More 7.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.7%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 74.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 371:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.6%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 56
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wicomico County Public Schools, which includes Mardela Middle & High.
$20,295
Per student
-10%
vs Maryland
Avg $22,498
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.7%
State 66.2%
Federal 14.1%
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
- 1,474
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,304
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,272
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Enrollment
- 976
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 963
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
Similar other schools in Mardela Springs
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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.
Frequently asked questions about Mardela Middle & High
How many students attend Mardela Middle & High?
Mardela Middle & High has 742 students enrolled. It is a other school in Mardela Springs, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mardela Middle & High?
The student-teacher ratio at Mardela Middle & High is 13.3:1, which is 8% lower than the Maryland average of 14.4:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mardela Middle & High?
42.8% of students at Mardela Middle & High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mardela Middle & High?
The largest demographic group at Mardela Middle & High is White at 74.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Mardela Springs, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mardela Middle & High?
Mardela Middle & High has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.