Enrollment
580
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 263585007184
Surline Middle School — West Branch, MI
Federal NCES profile for Surline Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 21/100.
👥 Class size 27
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 25
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: West Branch-Rose City Area 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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.2:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.3%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Surline 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
Surline Middle School reports 580 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 0% above the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. 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: 60.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% above the Michigan average and 16% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 580 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding West Branch-Rose City Area Schools spends $14,562 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.1% from local sources (property taxes), 47.3% from the state, and 18.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (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 Surline 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 | 18.2:1 | ▼ 0% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.3% | ▲ 11% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 580 | top 81% | — | — |
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
60.3%
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
18.2:1
students per teacher
— 0% above state mean
Top 64% in Michigan — lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
30.0%
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
$14,562
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 580 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 77 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 580 Top 81% in Michigan — larger than 19% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 18.2:1 +0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 60.3% +11% vs state
NCES ID 263585007184
Student demographics
White 93.6%
Two or More 3.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.2%
African American 0.3%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 93.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 580:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.0%
In-school suspensions 9
Out-of-school suspensions 77
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for West Branch-Rose City Area Schools, which includes Surline Middle School.
$14,562
Per student
-8%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.1%
State 47.3%
Federal 18.6%
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
- 592
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 569
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 103
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
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 Surline Middle School
How many students attend Surline Middle School?
Surline Middle School has 580 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in WEST BRANCH, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Surline Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Surline Middle School is 18.2:1, which is 0% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 14% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Surline Middle School?
60.3% of students at Surline Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Surline Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Surline Middle School is White at 93.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in WEST BRANCH, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Surline Middle School?
Surline Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (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.