Final answer:
By calculating the proportion between the percentage of students who brought their lunch and the total student population, it is determined that there are 720 students at Ridgewood Junior High School.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the total number of students in Ridgewood Junior High School, we use the percentage of students who brought their lunch from home to determine the full student population. If 5% of students represent 36 students who brought their lunch, we can use a simple proportion to find the total number of students:
5% is to 36 students as 100% is to the total number of students (T).
Writing this as an equation, we get:
5 / 100 = 36 / T
Cross-multiplying gives us:
5T = 36 × 100
Dividing both sides by 5, we find T:
T = (36 × 100) / 5
T = 3600 / 5
T = 720 students
Therefore, there are 720 students in total at Ridgewood Junior High School.