Enrollment
390
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 263138007436
Shepherd Middle School — Shepherd, MI
Federal NCES profile for Shepherd Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 20/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 0
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 →
School address
District: Shepherd Public Schools · Michigan
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)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.1:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.8%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shepherd Middle School compares with Michigan 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
Shepherd Middle School reports 390 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% below the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 14% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 45.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% below the Michigan average and 12% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 390 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 41.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Shepherd Public Schools spends $12,570 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 21.5% from local sources (property taxes), 67.8% from the state, and 10.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (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 Shepherd Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Michigan state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.1:1 | ▼ 1% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.8% | ▼ 16% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 390 | top 57% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
45.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% 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
18.1:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 63% in Michigan — lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
41.3%
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
$12,570
per pupil, district-wide
— below Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 390 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 390 Top 57% in Michigan — larger than 43% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 18.1:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 45.8% -16% vs state
NCES ID 263138007436
Student demographics
White 84.4%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.9%
African American 3.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.0%
Two or More 0.8%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 84.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 390:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 41.3%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Shepherd Public Schools, which includes Shepherd Middle School.
$12,570
Per student
-21%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 21.5%
State 67.8%
Federal 10.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 544
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 519
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Enrollment
- 224
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 69
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
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 Shepherd Middle School
How many students attend Shepherd Middle School?
Shepherd Middle School has 390 students enrolled. It is a middle school in SHEPHERD, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shepherd Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Shepherd Middle School is 18.1:1, which is 1% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 14% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Shepherd Middle School?
45.8% of students at Shepherd Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shepherd Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Shepherd Middle School is White at 84.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in SHEPHERD, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shepherd Middle School?
Shepherd Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (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.