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Alma, Michigan - 5 schools
An equity score of 60/100 ranks Alma Public Schools #192 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,308 per pupil, Alma Public Schools ranks #310 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,873
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$13,308
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Alma Public Schools operates 5 public schools serving 1,873 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Gratiot County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,308 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending. See how Michigan compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 27.9% local, 57.6% state, and 14.5% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 60/100, ranked #192 of 707 in Michigan against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (4 AP courses district-wide), a 366.5:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 40.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 83.1% White, 12.1% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Luce Road Elementary School, with a diversity index of 39.2/100.
Its largest campus is Alma Senior High School, enrolling 552 students (30% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Luce Road Elementary School, at 141 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Alma Senior High School accounts for 29.5% of all Alma Public Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Alma Public Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Alma Public Schools school enrollment varies 3.9× across entities
Alma Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 141 students (lowest) to 552 students (highest), a spread of 411 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Alma Public Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 61.5% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Alma Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 367:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Alma Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 40.4% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Alma Public Schools has 5 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 2 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 1,873 students.
How much does Alma Public Schools spend per student?
Alma Public Schools spends $13,308 per student. The district has an equity score of 60/100, ranking #192 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Alma Public Schools?
Alma Public Schools students are 83.1% White, 12.1% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% African American, 0.4% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Alma Public Schools?
Alma Public Schools has an equity score of 60/100, ranking #192 out of 707 districts in Michigan.