Enrollment
720
Rhode Island · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 440054000129
Nicholas a. Ferri Middle — Johnston, RI
Federal NCES profile for Nicholas a. Ferri Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 23/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 13
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 →
The verdict
Nicholas a. Ferri Middle earns an F Resource Investment Index (23/100), with class sizes near the Rhode Island median.
- F
- Resource Index · 23/100
- 12.9:1
- students per teacher
- 34.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 720
- students enrolled
School address
District: Johnston · Rhode Island
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)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 13.4:1 Rhode Island avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.7%
vs 39.6% Rhode Island avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nicholas a. Ferri Middle compares with Rhode Island 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
Nicholas a. Ferri Middle reports 720 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 59.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the Rhode Island state mean of 13.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 12% below the Rhode Island average and 33% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 720 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 35.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Johnston spends $22,817 per pupil district-wide, below the Rhode Island average of $22,892 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 56.0% from local sources (property taxes), 33.5% from the state, and 10.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (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 Nicholas a. Ferri Middle compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Rhode Island state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Rhode Island | Rhode Island avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.9:1 | ▼ 4% | 13.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.7% | ▼ 12% | 39.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 720 | top 87% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
13 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 70% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
720 larger than 81% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
34.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 12% below the Rhode Island average of 39.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.9:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 47% in Rhode Island — lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
35.0%
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
$22,817
per pupil, district-wide
— below Rhode Island avg of $22,892
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 720 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
31
in-school suspensions + 43 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 720 Top 87% in Rhode Island — larger than 13% of 309 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 59.0
Students per teacher 12.9:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.7% -12% vs state
NCES ID 440054000129
Student demographics
White 50.7%
Hispanic or Latino 34.7%
African American 7.2%
Asian 4.3%
Two or More 2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 50.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 720:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 35.0%
In-school suspensions 31
Out-of-school suspensions 43
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Johnston, which includes Nicholas a. Ferri Middle.
$22,817
Per student
0%
vs Rhode Island
Avg $22,892
+17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 56.0%
State 33.5%
Federal 10.5%
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
- 826
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Enrollment
- 380
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 340
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Enrollment
- 266
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Enrollment
- 251
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
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 Nicholas a. Ferri Middle
How many students attend Nicholas a. Ferri Middle?
Nicholas a. Ferri Middle has 720 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Johnston, RI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nicholas a. Ferri Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Nicholas a. Ferri Middle is 12.9:1, which is 4% lower than the Rhode Island average of 13.4:1 and 18% 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 Nicholas a. Ferri Middle?
34.7% of students at Nicholas a. Ferri Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Rhode Island average of 39.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nicholas a. Ferri Middle?
The largest demographic group at Nicholas a. Ferri Middle is White at 50.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Johnston, RI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nicholas a. Ferri Middle?
Nicholas a. Ferri Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (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.