Enrollment
1,081
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 263387006948
West Middle School — Traverse City, MI
Federal NCES profile for West Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 18
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 70
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: Traverse City Area 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)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.4:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.6%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Middle 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
West Middle School reports 1,081 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 53.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% 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 28% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 38% below the Michigan average and 35% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 360 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Traverse City Area Public Schools spends $16,860 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 48.6% from local sources (property taxes), 40.7% from the state, and 10.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 West Middle 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 | 20.4:1 | ▲ 12% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.6% | ▼ 38% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,081 | top 96% | — | — |
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
33.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 38% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
20.4:1
students per teacher
— 12% above state mean
Top 83% in Michigan — lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
12.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,860
per pupil, district-wide
— above Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 360 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
75
in-school suspensions + 106 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,081 Top 96% in Michigan — larger than 4% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 53.0
Students per teacher 20.4:1 +12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.6% -38% vs state
NCES ID 263387006948
Student demographics
White 91.1%
Hispanic or Latino 2.7%
Asian 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.0%
African American 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 91.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 360:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.0%
In-school suspensions 75
Out-of-school suspensions 106
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Traverse City Area Public Schools, which includes West Middle School.
$16,860
Per student
+6%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 48.6%
State 40.7%
Federal 10.7%
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
- 1,384
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,326
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Enrollment
- 829
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Enrollment
- 510
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 475
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
Similar middle schools in Traverse City
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 West Middle School
How many students attend West Middle School?
West Middle School has 1,081 students enrolled. It is a middle school in TRAVERSE CITY, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at West Middle School is 20.4:1, which is 12% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 28% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at West Middle School?
33.6% of students at West Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Middle School?
The largest demographic group at West Middle School is White at 91.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in TRAVERSE CITY, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Middle School?
West Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.