Let \( x \) be the total number of students in Ridgewood Junior High School. According to the problem, 20% of the students brought their lunch. This can be expressed as:
\[ 0.2x = 38 \]
To find \( x \), we divide both sides of the equation by 0.2:
\[ x = \frac{38}{0.2} \]
Calculating the right side:
\[ x = 38 \div 0.2 = 38 \times 5 = 190 \]
Thus, the total number of students in Ridgewood Junior High School is
\[ \boxed{190} \]
To verify, we calculate 20% of 190:
\[ 0.2 \times 190 = 38 \]
This confirms the calculation as 38 students brought their lunch, which matches the information given in the problem. Therefore, the final answer is correct: there are indeed
\[ \boxed{190} \]
students in total.
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