Enrollment
594
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 263594007201
Western Middle School — Parma, MI
Federal NCES profile for Western Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 7
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: Western School District · 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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.8%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Western 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
Western Middle School reports 594 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% below the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 34% below the Michigan average and 31% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 297 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 37.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Western School District spends $12,637 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.8% from local sources (property taxes), 70.3% from the state, and 9.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F), 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 Western 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 | 16.3:1 | ▼ 10% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.8% | ▼ 34% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 594 | top 82% | — | — |
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
35.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 34% 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
16.3:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 42% in Michigan — lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
37.2%
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
$12,637
per pupil, district-wide
— below Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 297 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
50
in-school suspensions + 69 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 594 Top 82% in Michigan — larger than 18% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 16.3:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.8% -34% vs state
NCES ID 263594007201
Student demographics
White 84.2%
Two or More 7.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
African American 2.2%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 84.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 297:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 37.2%
In-school suspensions 50
Out-of-school suspensions 69
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Western School District, which includes Western Middle School.
$12,637
Per student
-20%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.8%
State 70.3%
Federal 9.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 809
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 409
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 408
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 371
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 97
- Students per teacher
- 35.8:1
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 Western Middle School
How many students attend Western Middle School?
Western Middle School has 594 students enrolled. It is a middle school in PARMA, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Western Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Western Middle School is 16.3:1, which is 10% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Western Middle School?
35.8% of students at Western Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Western Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Western Middle School is White at 84.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in PARMA, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Western Middle School?
Western Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F) 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.