Enrollment
525
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Dearborn, MI
Smith Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Smith Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 18/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 261160004597
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Smith Middle School earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 72% of Michigan schools.
- #3 of 6
- middle schools in Dearborn · Resource Index
- 18
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.6:1
- small classes for Michigan
- 60.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Smith Middle School has class sizes smaller than 72% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Smith Middle School ranks #3 of 6 middle schools in Dearborn, MI.
School address
District: Dearborn City School District · Michigan
NCES ID 261160004597 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.2%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smith Middle School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Smith Middle School
Smith Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Dearborn, Michigan, enrolling 525 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 60.2% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 525 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.
Among 546 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #448, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and African American (10%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 525 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Dearborn City School District spends $16,677 per pupil, 23% above the Michigan average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 21.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 118 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 525 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Dearborn City School District also operates Fordson High School (1,966 students) and Dearborn High School (1,775 students) alongside Smith 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 Smith Middle School compares
Smith 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 | 14.6:1 | ▼ 17% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.2% | ▲ 11% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 525 | top 23% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
525
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 28% in Michigan - lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
40.6%
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
$16,677
per pupil, district-wide
- above Michigan avg of $13,507
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 525 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 117 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.5 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 79.0%
African American 10.1%
Hispanic or Latino 6.1%
Asian 2.9%
Two or More 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 79.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.1, Smith Middle School is about as mixed as the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dearborn City School District, which includes Smith Middle School.
$16,677
Per student
+23%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.9%
State 52.7%
Federal 21.4%
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 Smith Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fordson High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dearborn High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Edsel Ford High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bryant Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Woodworth Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Smith Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,966
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,775
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,502
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 781
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 699
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
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 (~525 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Smith Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Smith Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Dearborn City School District'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 Smith Middle School
How many students attend Smith Middle School?
Smith Middle School has 525 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Dearborn, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smith Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Smith Middle School is 14.6:1, which is 17% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 7% 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 Smith Middle School?
60.2% of students at Smith Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Smith Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Smith Middle School is White at 79.0% of enrollment, in Dearborn, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smith Middle School?
Smith Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (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 Smith Middle School rank among middle schools in Dearborn?
By Resource Investment Index, Smith Middle School ranks #3 of 6 middle schools in Dearborn, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Dearborn on the city page.
Is Smith Middle School a good school?
Smith Middle School earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 72% of Michigan schools. 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 Dearborn City School District?
Besides Smith Middle School, Dearborn City School District also operates Fordson High School (1,966 students), Dearborn High School (1,775 students), and Edsel Ford High School (1,502 students). See the Dearborn City School District 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.