Enrollment
503
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Sparta, MI
Sparta Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Sparta Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 263237006800
👥 S:T ratio 23
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sparta Middle School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Michigan schools.
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.3:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 44.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 503
- students enrolled
Sparta Middle School has class sizes larger than 75% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Sparta Area Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 263237006800 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.3:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.0%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sparta Middle School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sparta Middle School
Sparta Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Sparta, Michigan, enrolling 503 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 44.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 503 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 688 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #93.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 503 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Discipline events run high: 127 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 503 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Sparta Area Schools also operates Sparta Senior High School (778 students) and Ridgeview Elementary School (555 students) alongside Sparta 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 Sparta Middle School compares
Sparta 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 | 19.3:1 | ▲ 10% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.0% | ▼ 19% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 503 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.3:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
503
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 19% 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
19.3:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 75% in Michigan - lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.9%
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
$12,960
per pupil, district-wide
- below Michigan avg of $13,507
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 503 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
58
in-school suspensions + 69 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.2 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 81.5%
Hispanic or Latino 13.3%
Two or More 2.6%
African American 1.4%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 81.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.7, Sparta Middle School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sparta Area Schools, which includes Sparta Middle School.
$12,960
Per student
-4%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.1%
State 56.9%
Federal 11.0%
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 Sparta Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparta Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ridgeview Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Appleview Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sparta Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 778
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 555
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 517
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~503 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sparta Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Sparta Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Sparta Area 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 Sparta Middle School
How many students attend Sparta Middle School?
Sparta Middle School has 503 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Sparta, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sparta Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sparta Middle School is 19.3:1, which is 10% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 23% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sparta Middle School?
44.0% of students at Sparta Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sparta Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Sparta Middle School is White at 81.5% of enrollment, in Sparta, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sparta Middle School?
Sparta Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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).
Is Sparta Middle School a good school?
Sparta Middle School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% 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 Sparta Area Schools?
Besides Sparta Middle School, Sparta Area Schools also operates Sparta Senior High School (778 students), Ridgeview Elementary School (555 students), and Appleview Elementary School (517 students). See the Sparta Area 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.