Enrollment
796
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Alpena, MI
Thunder Bay Junior High School
Federal NCES profile for Thunder Bay Junior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 260273003995
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 3
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Thunder Bay Junior High School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- #4 of 8
- public schools in Alpena · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.7:1
- students per teacher
- 53.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Thunder Bay Junior High School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Thunder Bay Junior High School ranks #4 of 8 public schools in Alpena, MI.
School address
District: Alpena Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 260273003995 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.4%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thunder Bay Junior High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Thunder Bay Junior High School
Thunder Bay Junior High School is a higher-need, large middle school in Alpena, Michigan, enrolling 796 students.
At 17.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Michigan median, within a few percentage points of the 17.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 53.4% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Michigan, bigger than 91% of state schools at 796 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 279 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #163.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 14/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 187 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 796 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Alpena Public Schools also operates Alpena High School (1,091 students) and Besser Elementary School (470 students) alongside Thunder Bay Junior High 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 Thunder Bay Junior High School compares
Thunder Bay Junior High 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 | 17.7:1 | ▲ 1% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.4% | ▼ 2% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 796 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.7:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
796
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% 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
17.7:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 60% in Michigan - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.7%
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
$12,020
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
Counselors0.2 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 186 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 92.5%
Two or More 4.0%
Hispanic or Latino 2.6%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 92.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.2, Thunder Bay Junior High School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alpena Public Schools, which includes Thunder Bay Junior High School.
$12,020
Per student
-11%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.2%
State 59.7%
Federal 13.1%
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 Thunder Bay Junior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpena High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Besser Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ella M White Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wilson Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sanborn Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Thunder Bay Junior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,091
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 470
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 440
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 220
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 201
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
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 (~796 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Thunder Bay Junior High School's federal record.
- Compare Thunder Bay Junior High School against another school. Compare schools
- Alpena Public 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 Thunder Bay Junior High School
How many students attend Thunder Bay Junior High School?
Thunder Bay Junior High School has 796 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Alpena, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thunder Bay Junior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Thunder Bay Junior High School is 17.7:1, which is 1% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thunder Bay Junior High School?
53.4% of students at Thunder Bay Junior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thunder Bay Junior High School?
The largest demographic group at Thunder Bay Junior High School is White at 92.5% of enrollment, in Alpena, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thunder Bay Junior High School?
Thunder Bay Junior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Thunder Bay Junior High School rank among public schools in Alpena?
By Resource Investment Index, Thunder Bay Junior High School ranks #4 of 8 public schools in Alpena, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Alpena on the city page.
Is Thunder Bay Junior High School a good school?
Thunder Bay Junior High School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. 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 Alpena Public Schools?
Besides Thunder Bay Junior High School, Alpena Public Schools also operates Alpena High School (1,091 students), Besser Elementary School (470 students), and Ella M White Elementary (440 students). See the Alpena Public 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.