Enrollment
604
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Lexington, KY
Morton Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Morton Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 210186000374
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Morton Middle School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Kentucky schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Kentucky schools.
- #5 of 11
- middle schools in Lexington · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.6:1
- small classes for Kentucky
- 41.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Morton Middle School has class sizes smaller than 79% of Kentucky schools. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Morton Middle School ranks #5 of 11 middle schools in Lexington, KY.
School address
District: Fayette County · Kentucky
NCES ID 210186000374 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.6%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Morton Middle School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Morton Middle School
Morton Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Lexington, Kentucky, enrolling 604 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 41.6% free-meal eligibility runs 30% below the Kentucky average.
Enrollment of 604 puts it in the larger third of Kentucky schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Against 294 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #199.
Its student body is led by White (58%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 201 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Fayette County spends $15,849 per pupil, 20% above the Kentucky average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Lexington's middle schools, it stands alongside Edythe Jones Hayes Middle School (1,125 students): Morton Middle School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.6:1 vs 15.2:1).
Fayette County also operates Lafayette High School (2,370 students) and Bryan Station High School (2,030 students) alongside Morton Middle School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Morton Middle School compares
Morton Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Kentucky and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kentucky | Kentucky avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.6:1 | ▼ 17% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.6% | ▼ 30% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 604 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
604
Bigger than 73% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% below the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 21% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
30.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,849
per pupil, district-wide
- above Kentucky avg of $13,211
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 201 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
41
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 57.8%
Hispanic or Latino 16.7%
African American 15.7%
Two or More 5.1%
Asian 4.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 57.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.9, Morton Middle School is more mixed than the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fayette County, which includes Morton Middle School.
$15,849
Per student
+20%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.8%
State 35.5%
Federal 14.7%
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.
How Morton Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bryan Station High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Henry Clay High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Paul Laurence Dunbar High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Frederick Douglass High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Morton Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,370
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 2,030
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,939
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,828
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,770
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
Similar middle schools in Lexington
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Edythe Jones Hayes Middle School
Standard public school
1,125 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Leestown Middle School
Standard public school
1,084 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Jessie M Clark Middle School
Standard public school
1,002 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Winburn Middle School
Standard public school
768 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Tates Creek Middle School
Standard public school
767 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Southern Middle School
Standard public school
759 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Kentucky, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~604 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Morton Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Morton Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Fayette County's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Morton Middle School
How many students attend Morton Middle School?
Morton Middle School has 604 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Lexington, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Morton Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Morton Middle School is 12.6:1, which is 17% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 20% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Morton Middle School?
41.6% of students at Morton Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Morton Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Morton Middle School is White at 57.8% of enrollment, in Lexington, KY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Morton Middle School?
Morton Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Morton Middle School rank among middle schools in Lexington?
By Resource Investment Index, Morton Middle School ranks #5 of 11 middle schools in Lexington, KY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Lexington on the city page.
Is Morton Middle School a good school?
Morton Middle School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Kentucky schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Kentucky schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Fayette County?
Besides Morton Middle School, Fayette County also operates Lafayette High School (2,370 students), Bryan Station High School (2,030 students), and Henry Clay High School (1,939 students). See the Fayette County district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.