Middle school (grades 6-8) · Spokane, WA

Northwood Middle School

Federal NCES profile for Northwood Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 530492000748
0/100100/10043/100
👥 S:T ratio
26
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
20
📋 Attendance
94
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Northwood Middle School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median.

#8 of 17
public schools in Spokane · Resource Index
43
Resource Index · Typical
18.5:1
students per teacher
24.2%
free-lunch eligible

Northwood Middle School has class sizes near the Washington median. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Northwood Middle School ranks #8 of 17 public schools in Spokane, WA.

School address

Enrollment

796

Washington · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

43.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

18.5:1

vs 17.6:1 Washington avg

+5% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

24.2%

vs 45.0% Washington avg

-46% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Northwood Middle School compares with Washington and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Northwood Middle School

Northwood Middle School is a large middle school in Spokane, Washington, enrolling 796 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Washington schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 24.2% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 796 puts it in the larger third of Washington schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,394 scored Washington schools.

Against 317 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #179.

Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 398 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

Attendance holds up well here: only 2.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.

The surrounding Mead School District spends $14,830 per pupil, 24% below the Washington average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.

Among Spokane's middle schools, it stands alongside Sacajawea Middle School (855 students): Northwood Middle School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.5:1 vs 19.9:1).

Mead School District also operates Mead Senior High School (1,827 students) and Mt Spokane High School (1,482 students) alongside Northwood 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 Northwood Middle School compares

Northwood Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Washington and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Washington Washington avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 18.5:1 ▲ 5% 17.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 24.2% ▼ 46% 45.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 796 top 11% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
796
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
24.2%
free-lunch eligible - 46% below the Washington average of 45.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.5:1
students per teacher - 5% above state mean
Top 69% in Washington - lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
2.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$14,830
per pupil, district-wide - below Washington avg of $19,487
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 398 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
100
in-school suspensions + 41 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.

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 81.6%
Hispanic or Latino 8.3%
Two or More 6.9%
African American 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%

Largest group: White at 81.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 32.2/100

Simpson diversity index - at 32.2, Northwood Middle School is less mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mead School District, which includes Northwood Middle School.

$14,830
Per student
-24%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.8%
State 72.3%
Federal 8.8%

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 Northwood Middle School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Mead Senior High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Mt Spokane High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Mountainside Middle School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Mead Learning Options Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Highland Middle School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Northwood Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Mead School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar middle schools in Spokane

6 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 Washington, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Northwood Middle School's federal record.

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 Northwood Middle School

How many students attend Northwood Middle School?

Northwood Middle School has 796 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Spokane, WA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwood Middle School?

The student-teacher ratio at Northwood Middle School is 18.5:1, which is 5% higher than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Northwood Middle School?

24.2% of students at Northwood Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northwood Middle School?

The largest demographic group at Northwood Middle School is White at 81.6% of enrollment, in Spokane, WA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwood Middle School?

Northwood Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Northwood Middle School rank among public schools in Spokane?

By Resource Investment Index, Northwood Middle School ranks #8 of 17 public schools in Spokane, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Spokane on the city page.

Is Northwood Middle School a good school?

Northwood Middle School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington 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 Mead School District?

Besides Northwood Middle School, Mead School District also operates Mead Senior High School (1,827 students), Mt Spokane High School (1,482 students), and Mountainside Middle School (824 students). See the Mead School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

View saved

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.