Enrollment
616
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Laurel, MD
Murray Hill Middle
Federal NCES profile for Murray Hill Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 240042000860
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Murray Hill Middle earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Maryland schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland schools.
- #2 of 3
- middle schools in Laurel · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.3:1
- small classes for Maryland
- 34.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Murray Hill Middle has class sizes smaller than 79% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Murray Hill Middle ranks #2 of 3 middle schools in Laurel, MD.
School address
District: Howard County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240042000860 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.7%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Murray Hill Middle compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Murray Hill Middle
Murray Hill Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Laurel, Maryland, enrolling 616 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 34.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 616 students, its enrollment sits close to the Maryland median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 264 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #35.
Its student body is led by African American (40%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 308 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Laurel's middle schools, it stands alongside Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle (1,047 students): Murray Hill Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.3:1 vs 14.3:1).
Howard County Public Schools also operates Marriotts Ridge High (1,741 students) and Reservoir High (1,597 students) alongside Murray Hill Middle.
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 Murray Hill Middle compares
Murray Hill Middle on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.3:1 | ▼ 15% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.7% | ▼ 29% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 616 | top 38% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
616
Bigger than 74% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 29% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 21% in Maryland - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
23.2%
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
$17,971
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 308 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 51 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.3 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
African American 40.0%
Hispanic or Latino 24.6%
Asian 18.9%
White 11.4%
Two or More 4.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 40.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 72.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 72.8, Murray Hill Middle is more mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Howard County Public Schools, which includes Murray Hill Middle.
$17,971
Per student
-12%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.7%
State 29.5%
Federal 7.7%
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 Murray Hill Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriotts Ridge High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Reservoir High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Atholton High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Howard High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mount Hebron High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Murray Hill Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,741
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,597
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,540
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,493
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,455
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar middle schools in Laurel
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~616 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Murray Hill Middle's federal record.
- Compare Murray Hill Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Howard County Public Schools'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 Murray Hill Middle
How many students attend Murray Hill Middle?
Murray Hill Middle has 616 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Laurel, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Murray Hill Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Murray Hill Middle is 12.3:1, which is 15% lower than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 22% 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 Murray Hill Middle?
34.7% of students at Murray Hill Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Murray Hill Middle?
The largest demographic group at Murray Hill Middle is African American at 40.0% of enrollment, in Laurel, MD. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Murray Hill Middle?
Murray Hill Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher 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 Murray Hill Middle rank among middle schools in Laurel?
By Resource Investment Index, Murray Hill Middle ranks #2 of 3 middle schools in Laurel, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Laurel on the city page.
Is Murray Hill Middle a good school?
Murray Hill Middle earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Maryland schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland 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 Howard County Public Schools?
Besides Murray Hill Middle, Howard County Public Schools also operates Marriotts Ridge High (1,741 students), Reservoir High (1,597 students), and Atholton High (1,540 students). See the Howard County Public Schools 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.