Enrollment
831
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 530294000479
Morris Ford Middle School — Tacoma, WA
Federal NCES profile for Morris Ford Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 32
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: Franklin Pierce School District · Washington
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)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.9%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Morris Ford Middle School compares with Washington 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
Morris Ford Middle School reports 831 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 53.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the Washington state mean of 17.8:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 22% above the Washington average and 6% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 208 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Franklin Pierce School District spends $21,076 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.0% from local sources (property taxes), 64.5% from the state, and 13.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Morris Ford Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Washington state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.6:1 | ▼ 7% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.9% | ▲ 22% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 831 | top 90% | — | — |
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
54.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 22% above the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.6:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 52% in Washington — lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
27.3%
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
$21,076
per pupil, district-wide
— below Washington avg of $23,175
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 208 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
46
in-school suspensions + 156 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 831 Top 90% in Washington — larger than 10% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 53.0
Students per teacher 16.6:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.9% +22% vs state
NCES ID 530294000479
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 35.1%
White 27.9%
Two or More 13.6%
African American 9.7%
Asian 7.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 5.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 35.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 208:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.3%
In-school suspensions 46
Out-of-school suspensions 156
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Franklin Pierce School District, which includes Morris Ford Middle School.
$21,076
Per student
-9%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.0%
State 64.5%
Federal 13.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 989
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 977
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 804
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 483
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 466
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
Similar middle schools in Tacoma
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Spanaway Middle School
Standard public school
766 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
Baker Middle School
Standard public school
687 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Stewart Middle School
Standard public school
650 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Mason Middle School
Standard public school
639 students 21.3:1 students per teacher
First Creek Middle School
Standard public school
584 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Meeker Middle School
Standard public school
567 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
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 Morris Ford Middle School
How many students attend Morris Ford Middle School?
Morris Ford Middle School has 831 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Tacoma, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Morris Ford Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Morris Ford Middle School is 16.6:1, which is 7% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 4% 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 Morris Ford Middle School?
54.9% of students at Morris Ford Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Morris Ford Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Morris Ford Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 35.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Tacoma, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Morris Ford Middle School?
Morris Ford Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) 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.