Enrollment
642
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Dayton, OH
Smith Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Smith Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 390449505791
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 83
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Smith Middle School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Ohio schools.
- #13 of 31
- elementary schools in Dayton · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 25.7:1
- large classes for Ohio
- 25.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Smith Middle School has class sizes larger than 93% of Ohio schools. Computed live against every Ohio school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Smith Middle School ranks #13 of 31 elementary schools in Dayton, OH.
School address
District: Vandalia-Butler City · Ohio
NCES ID 390449505791 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.7:1
vs 18.2:1 Ohio avg
+41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.4%
vs 31.6% Ohio avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smith Middle School compares with Ohio and U.S. medians
What stands out at Smith Middle School
Smith Middle School is a mid-sized elementary school in Dayton, Ohio, enrolling 642 students.
Class loads run heavy: 25.7:1 is larger than about 93% of Ohio schools and 41% above the 18.2:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 25.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 642 puts it in the larger third of Ohio schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,574 scored Ohio schools.
Against 690 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #363.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Two or More (13%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 642 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 15.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Dayton's elementary schools, it stands alongside Deca Prep (950 students): Smith Middle School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (25.7:1 vs 14.8:1).
Vandalia-Butler City also operates Butler High School (856 students) and Morton Middle School (699 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 Ohio and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 25.7:1 | ▲ 41% | 18.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.4% | ▼ 20% | 31.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 642 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
25.7:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
642
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% below the Ohio average of 31.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
25.7:1
students per teacher
- 41% above state mean
Top 93% in Ohio - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
6.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$14,398
per pupil, district-wide
- below Ohio avg of $14,655
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 642 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 70.2%
Two or More 12.6%
African American 12.0%
Hispanic or Latino 4.7%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 70.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.5, Smith Middle School is more mixed than the Ohio school average of 35.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Vandalia-Butler City, which includes Smith Middle School.
$14,398
Per student
-2%
vs Ohio
Avg $14,655
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.7%
State 18.1%
Federal 15.2%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Morton Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Demmitt Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Helke Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Vandalia-Butler Preschool | Smaller | No free-lunch data | 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
- 856
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 699
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 373
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 310
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 101
- Students per teacher
- 25.3:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
Similar elementary schools in Dayton
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Deca Prep
Standard public school
950 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Pathway School of Discovery
Standard public school
843 students
Emerson Academy
Standard public school
674 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
North Dayton School of Science & Discovery
Standard public school
586 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Dayton Leadership Academies-Dayton View Campus
Standard public school
552 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Klepinger Community School
Standard public school
540 students 60:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Ohio, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~642 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Smith Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Smith Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Vandalia-Butler City'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 642 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Dayton, OH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smith Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Smith Middle School is 25.7:1, which is 41% higher than the Ohio average of 18.2:1 and 64% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Smith Middle School?
25.4% of students at Smith Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Ohio average of 31.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Smith Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Smith Middle School is White at 70.2% of enrollment, in Dayton, OH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smith Middle School?
Smith Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Smith Middle School rank among elementary schools in Dayton?
By Resource Investment Index, Smith Middle School ranks #13 of 31 elementary schools in Dayton, OH. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Dayton on the city page.
Is Smith Middle School a good school?
Smith Middle School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Ohio 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 Vandalia-Butler City?
Besides Smith Middle School, Vandalia-Butler City also operates Butler High School (856 students), Morton Middle School (699 students), and Demmitt Elementary School (373 students). See the Vandalia-Butler City 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.