Enrollment
720
Rhode Island · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Johnston, RI
Nicholas a. Ferri Middle
Federal NCES profile for Nicholas a. Ferri Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 440054000129
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Nicholas a. Ferri Middle earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Rhode Island median.
- #8 of 8
- public schools in Johnston · Resource Index
- 23
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.2:1
- students per teacher
- 34.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Nicholas a. Ferri Middle has class sizes near the Rhode Island median. Computed live against every Rhode Island school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Nicholas a. Ferri Middle ranks #8 of 8 public schools in Johnston, RI.
School address
District: Johnston · Rhode Island
NCES ID 440054000129 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 13.8:1 Rhode Island avg
-12% 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
What stands out at Nicholas a. Ferri Middle
Nicholas a. Ferri Middle is a large middle school in Johnston, Rhode Island, enrolling 720 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Rhode Island schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 34.7% lands close to the Rhode Island typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 720 puts it in the larger third of Rhode Island schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 91% of the 308 Rhode Island schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 31 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Rhode Island schools statewide, it ranks #30, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (51%) and Hispanic or Latino (35%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 720 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Johnston also operates Johnston Senior High (826 students) and Winsor Hill School (380 students) alongside Nicholas a. Ferri 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 Nicholas a. Ferri Middle compares
Nicholas a. Ferri Middle on the metrics families compare, against Rhode Island and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Rhode Island | Rhode Island avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.2:1 | ▼ 12% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.7% | ▼ 12% | 39.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 720 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
720
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 36% in Rhode Island - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
35.0%
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
$19,162
per pupil, district-wide
- below Rhode Island avg of $20,315
Somewhat 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 61.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.5, Nicholas a. Ferri Middle is more mixed than the Rhode Island school average of 47.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Johnston, which includes Nicholas a. Ferri Middle.
$19,162
Per student
-6%
vs Rhode Island
Avg $20,315
+15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Nicholas a. Ferri Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnston Senior High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Winsor Hill School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Thornton School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sarah Dyer Barnes School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Brown Avenue School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Nicholas a. Ferri Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 826
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 380
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 340
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 266
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 251
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Rhode Island, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~720 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Nicholas a. Ferri Middle's federal record.
- Compare Nicholas a. Ferri Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Johnston'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 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 12.2:1, which is 12% lower than the Rhode Island average of 13.8:1 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 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% of enrollment, in Johnston, RI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nicholas a. Ferri Middle?
Nicholas a. Ferri Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (lower 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 Nicholas a. Ferri Middle rank among public schools in Johnston?
By Resource Investment Index, Nicholas a. Ferri Middle ranks #8 of 8 public schools in Johnston, RI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Johnston on the city page.
Is Nicholas a. Ferri Middle a good school?
Nicholas a. Ferri Middle earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Rhode Island median. 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 Johnston?
Besides Nicholas a. Ferri Middle, Johnston also operates Johnston Senior High (826 students), Winsor Hill School (380 students), and Thornton School (340 students). See the Johnston 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.