Enrollment
348
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Ferndale, MI
Tri County Educational Center
Federal NCES profile for Tri County Educational Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 261428008350
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tri County Educational Center earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Michigan schools.
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 31.6:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 84.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 348
- students enrolled
Tri County Educational Center has class sizes larger than 96% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Ferndale Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 261428008350 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
31.6:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+81% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.4%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tri County Educational Center compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tri County Educational Center
Tri County Educational Center is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Ferndale, Michigan, enrolling 348 students.
Class loads run heavy: 31.6:1 is larger than about 96% of Michigan schools and 81% above the 17.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 84.4% of students qualify for free meals, 55% above the Michigan average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 348 students, its enrollment sits close to the Michigan median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Among 442 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #29, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 18/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 174 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
13.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Ferndale Public Schools also operates Ferndale High School (739 students) and Ferndale Middle School (528 students) alongside Tri County Educational Center.
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 Tri County Educational Center compares
Tri County Educational Center on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 31.6:1 | ▲ 81% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.4% | ▲ 55% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 348 | top 51% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
31.6:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
348
Bigger than 39% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 55% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
31.6:1
students per teacher
- 81% above state mean
Top 96% in Michigan - lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
13.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$13,463
per pupil, district-wide
- below Michigan avg of $13,507
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 174 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
African American 90.5%
White 5.2%
Two or More 3.2%
Hispanic or Latino 0.9%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 90.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.7, Tri County Educational Center is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ferndale Public Schools, which includes Tri County Educational Center.
$13,463
Per student
0%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.0%
State 56.0%
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 Tri County Educational Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferndale High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ferndale Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ferndale Upper Elementary Campus | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| University High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tri County Educational Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 739
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 517
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 469
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Resource Index
- 9/100
Similar high 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 (~348 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tri County Educational Center's federal record.
- Compare Tri County Educational Center against another school. Compare schools
- Ferndale 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 Tri County Educational Center
How many students attend Tri County Educational Center?
Tri County Educational Center has 348 students enrolled. It is a high school in Ferndale, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tri County Educational Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Tri County Educational Center is 31.6:1, which is 81% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 101% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tri County Educational Center?
84.4% of students at Tri County Educational Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tri County Educational Center?
The largest demographic group at Tri County Educational Center is African American at 90.5% of enrollment, in Ferndale, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tri County Educational Center?
Tri County Educational Center has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Tri County Educational Center a good school?
Tri County Educational Center earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% 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 Ferndale Public Schools?
Besides Tri County Educational Center, Ferndale Public Schools also operates Ferndale High School (739 students), Ferndale Middle School (528 students), and Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus (517 students). See the Ferndale 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.