Enrollment
641
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
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
👥 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
District: Airport Community Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 260198003944 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
29.1:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+66% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.7%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wagar 78 Middle School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wagar 78 Middle School
Wagar 78 Middle School is a higher-need, large middle school in Carleton, Michigan, enrolling 641 students.
Class loads run heavy: 29.1:1 is larger than about 96% of Michigan schools and 66% above the 17.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 52.7% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 641 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 478 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #450, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 641 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Airport Community Schools also operates Airport Senior High School (760 students) and Joseph C Sterling Elementary School (370 students) alongside Wagar 78 Middle 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 Wagar 78 Middle School compares
Wagar 78 Middle 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 | 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 (what these measure)
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
$12,155
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
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.
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 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
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Airport Community Schools, which includes Wagar 78 Middle School.
$12,155
Per student
-10%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.2%
State 62.9%
Federal 11.9%
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 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
- Enrollment
- 760
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 370
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 292
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 265
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 242
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
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 (~641 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~29.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wagar 78 Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Wagar 78 Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Airport Community 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 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.
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, counselor availability, attendance rates. 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.
Is Wagar 78 Middle School a good school?
Wagar 78 Middle School earns 14/100 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 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.
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.