Enrollment
661
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Fraser, MI
Richards Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Richards Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 261482005185
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Richards Middle School earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- #3 of 6
- public schools in Fraser · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.5:1
- students per teacher
- 46.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Richards Middle School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Richards Middle School ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Fraser, MI.
School address
District: Fraser Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 261482005185 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.1%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Richards Middle School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Richards Middle School
Richards Middle School is a large middle school in Fraser, Michigan, enrolling 661 students.
At 16.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Michigan median, within a few percentage points of the 17.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 46.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 661 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 508 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #260.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 331 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 57.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 175 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 661 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Fraser Public Schools also operates Fraser High School (1,431 students) and Salk Elementary School (455 students) alongside Richards 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 Richards Middle School compares
Richards Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.5:1 | ▼ 6% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.1% | ▼ 15% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 661 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
661
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 48% in Michigan - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
57.0%
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
$13,667
per pupil, district-wide
- above Michigan avg of $13,507
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 331 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
67
in-school suspensions + 108 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 26.5 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 69.6%
African American 16.5%
Two or More 8.8%
Hispanic or Latino 3.6%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 69.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.9, Richards Middle School is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fraser Public Schools, which includes Richards Middle School.
$13,667
Per student
+1%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.0%
State 60.2%
Federal 10.8%
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 Richards Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Salk Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Eisenhower Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Thomas a Edison Elem School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Walt Disney Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Richards Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,431
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 455
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 391
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 378
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 366
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Michigan, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~661 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Richards Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Richards Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Fraser 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 Richards Middle School
How many students attend Richards Middle School?
Richards Middle School has 661 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Fraser, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Richards Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Richards Middle School is 16.5:1, which is 6% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 5% higher 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 Richards Middle School?
46.1% of students at Richards Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Richards Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Richards Middle School is White at 69.6% of enrollment, in Fraser, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Richards Middle School?
Richards Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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 Richards Middle School rank among public schools in Fraser?
By Resource Investment Index, Richards Middle School ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Fraser, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Fraser on the city page.
Is Richards Middle School a good school?
Richards Middle School earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan 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 Fraser Public Schools?
Besides Richards Middle School, Fraser Public Schools also operates Fraser High School (1,431 students), Salk Elementary School (455 students), and Eisenhower Elementary School (391 students). See the Fraser 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.