Enrollment
469
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 261428001901
University High School — Ferndale, MI
Federal NCES profile for University High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 10/100.
👥 Class size 0
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 6
📋 Attendance 0
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: Ferndale Public 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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.1:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.5%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How University High 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
University High School reports 469 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 25.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 38% 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 58% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 80.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% above the Michigan average and 55% above the national baseline. The school offers 3 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 469 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 92.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ferndale Public Schools spends $21,152 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.0% from local sources (property taxes), 56.0% from the state, and 11.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 University High 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 | 25.1:1 | ▲ 38% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.5% | ▲ 48% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 469 | top 70% | — | — |
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
80.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% 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
25.1:1
students per teacher
— 38% above state mean
Top 94% in Michigan — lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
92.5%
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
$21,152
per pupil, district-wide
— above Michigan avg of $15,842
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 469 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 469 Top 70% in Michigan — larger than 30% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 25.1:1 +38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 80.5% +48% vs state
NCES ID 261428001901
Student demographics
African American 96.6%
Two or More 1.5%
White 0.4%
Hispanic or Latino 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 96.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 3
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 469:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 92.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ferndale Public Schools, which includes University High School.
$21,152
Per student
+34%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 739
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 517
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 348
- Students per teacher
- 31.5:1
Similar high schools in Ferndale
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 University High School
How many students attend University High School?
University High School has 469 students enrolled. It is a high school in FERNDALE, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at University High School?
The student-teacher ratio at University High School is 25.1:1, which is 38% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 58% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at University High School?
80.5% of students at University High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of University High School?
The largest demographic group at University High School is African American at 96.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in FERNDALE, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for University High School?
University High School has a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.