Enrollment
731
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 263531007140
Mason Middle School — Waterford, MI
Federal NCES profile for Mason Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 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: Waterford School District · 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)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.1%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mason 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
Mason Middle School reports 731 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 44.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% below the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 61.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% above the Michigan average and 18% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 244 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 51.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Waterford School District spends $19,093 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.7% from local sources (property taxes), 52.2% from the state, and 9.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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 Mason 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 | 16.8:1 | ▼ 8% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.1% | ▲ 13% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 731 | top 89% | — | — |
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
61.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% 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
16.8:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 48% in Michigan — lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
51.0%
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
$19,093
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 244 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
121
in-school suspensions + 135 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 35.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 731 Top 89% in Michigan — larger than 11% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 44.0
Students per teacher 16.8:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 61.1% +13% vs state
NCES ID 263531007140
Student demographics
White 56.0%
Hispanic or Latino 21.8%
African American 15.5%
Two or More 5.1%
Asian 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 56.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 244:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 51.0%
In-school suspensions 121
Out-of-school suspensions 135
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waterford School District, which includes Mason Middle School.
$19,093
Per student
+21%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.7%
State 52.2%
Federal 9.1%
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
- 963
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Enrollment
- 909
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 733
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Enrollment
- 437
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Enrollment
- 398
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
Similar middle schools in Waterford
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.
Frequently asked questions about Mason Middle School
How many students attend Mason Middle School?
Mason Middle School has 731 students enrolled. It is a middle school in WATERFORD, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mason Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mason Middle School is 16.8:1, which is 8% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 6% higher 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 Mason Middle School?
61.1% of students at Mason Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mason Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Mason Middle School is White at 56.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in WATERFORD, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mason Middle School?
Mason Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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.