Middle school (grades 6-8) · Carleton, MI

Wagar 78 Middle School

Federal NCES profile for Wagar 78 Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 14/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 260198003944
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Compiled from official source data by .
0/100100/10014/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
26
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Wagar 78 Middle School earns 14/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Michigan schools.

#4 of 4
public schools in Carleton · Resource Index
14
Resource Index · Lower
29.1:1
large classes for Michigan
52.7%
free-lunch eligible

Wagar 78 Middle School has class sizes larger than 96% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Wagar 78 Middle School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Carleton, MI.

School address

Carleton, MI 48117
District: Airport Community Schools · Michigan

NCES ID 260198003944 Verify on NCES CCD record →

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

+199 students YoY

Wagar 78 Middle School grew from 427 students in 2022-23 to 626 in 2023-24 (+46.6%).

Teacher FTE added 22.8 → 30.6 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Growing CCD campus

+199 students YoY 260198003944 · Carleton, MI Middle · MID · TRAD

641 enr · 29.1:1 · 52.7% lunch · RII 14

Nearest enrollment peer: Airport Senior High School (760 students)

Wagar 78 Middle School grew from 427 students in 2022-23 to 626 in 2023-24 (+46.6%). Teacher FTE added 22.8 → 30.6 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · Michigan schools → · Find another →

Wagar 78 Middle School in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Wagar 78 Middle School reports 641 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Wagar 78 Middle School compares

Wagar 78 Middle School is a growing campus on CCD: ratios and free-lunch share vs Michigan and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Michigan Michigan avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 29.1:1 ▲ 66% 17.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 52.7% ▼ 3% 54.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 641 top 15% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

29.1:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
641
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators methodology

Economic need
52.7%
free-lunch eligible - 3% 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
29.1:1
students per teacher - 66% 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
29.8%
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
$13,138
per pupil, district-wide - below Michigan avg of $15,012
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 641 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 94 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Student demographics

White 87.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
African American 3.3%
Two or More 2.3%

Largest group: White at 87.7% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 22.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 22.5, Wagar 78 Middle School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.

Programs

District finance for Airport Community Schools reports $13,138 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

How Wagar 78 Middle School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Airport Senior High School Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Joseph C Sterling Elementary School Smaller Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Loren Eyler Elementary School Smaller Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Fred W Ritter Elementary School Smaller Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Henry Niedermeier Elementary School Smaller Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Wagar 78 Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Airport Community Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Nationwide middle schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Similar enrollment (~641 students)

Similar student-teacher ratio (~29.1:1)

Frequently asked questions about Wagar 78 Middle School

How many students attend Wagar 78 Middle School?

Wagar 78 Middle School has 641 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Carleton, MI. CCD year-over-year: 427 (2022-23) → 626 (2023-24), up 199.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Wagar 78 Middle School?

The student-teacher ratio at Wagar 78 Middle School is 29.1:1, which is 66% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 85% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wagar 78 Middle School?

52.7% of students at Wagar 78 Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wagar 78 Middle School?

The largest demographic group at Wagar 78 Middle School is White at 87.7% of enrollment, in Carleton, MI.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Wagar 78 Middle School?

Wagar 78 Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 14/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Wagar 78 Middle School rank among public schools in Carleton?

By Resource Investment Index, Wagar 78 Middle School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Carleton, 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 Carleton on the city page.

What other schools are in Airport Community Schools?

Besides Wagar 78 Middle School, Airport Community Schools also operates Airport Senior High School (760 students), Joseph C Sterling Elementary School (370 students), and Loren Eyler Elementary School (292 students). See the Airport Community Schools district page for the complete list.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Compiled from official source data by .