Alma Public Schools

Public school district · Gratiot County · Michigan · NCES district ID 2602640

Alma Public Schools spent $14,702 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 61% of the other Michigan districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $14,214). Its 5 schools enrolled 1,815 students in 2024-25; 59.8% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $15,056 per student, up 2.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 80-84% (Michigan: 81.8%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Michigan districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Alma Public Schools in enrollment (1,823 to 1,928 students) and Alma Public Schools itself.

Current spending per student, Michigan districts closest in size to Alma Public Schools, FY23Clintondale Community Schools $18,162; Milan Area $16,234; Dowagiac Union Schools $15,351; West Branch-Rose City Area Schools $15,252; Alma Public Schools $14,702; Oakridge Public Schools $13,976; Westwood Heights Schools $13,854; Croswell-Lexington Community Schools $13,710; Williamston Community Schools $13,244; Star International Academy $12,021; State median, 1,000+ students $14,214.10k12.5k15k17.5k20kClintondale Community Schools$18,162Milan Area$16,234Dowagiac Union Schools$15,351West Branch-Rose City Area Sch…$15,252Alma Public Schools$14,702Oakridge Public Schools$13,976Westwood Heights Schools$13,854Croswell-Lexington Community S…$13,710Williamston Community Schools$13,244Star International Academy$12,021State median, 1,000+ students $14,214
Current spending per student, Michigan districts closest in size to Alma Public Schools, FY23Clintondale Community Schools $18,162; Milan Area $16,234; Dowagiac Union Schools $15,351; West Branch-Rose City Area Schools $15,252; Alma Public Schools $14,702; Oakridge Public Schools $13,976; Westwood Heights Schools $13,854; Croswell-Lexington Community Schools $13,710; Williamston Community Schools $13,244; Star International Academy $12,021; State median, 1,000+ students $14,214.10k12.5k15k17.5k20kClintondale Community Schools$18,162Milan Area$16,234Dowagiac Union Schools$15,351West Branch-Rose City Area Schools$15,252Alma Public Schools$14,702Oakridge Public Schools$13,976Westwood Heights Schools$13,854Croswell-Lexington Community Schools$13,710Williamston Community Schools$13,244Star International Academy$12,021State median, 1,000+ students $14,214
Current spending per student, Michigan districts closest in size to Alma Public Schools, FY23Clintondale Community Schools $18,162; Milan Area $16,234; Dowagiac Union Schools $15,351; West Branch-Rose City Area Schools $15,252; Alma Public Schools $14,702; Oakridge Public Schools $13,976; Westwood Heights Schools $13,854; Croswell-Lexington Community Schools $13,710; Williamston Community Schools $13,244; Star International Academy $12,021; State median, 1,000+ students $14,214.10k15k20kClintondale Community Schools$18,162Milan Area$16,234Dowagiac Union Schools$15,351West Branch-Rose City Area Schools$15,252Alma Public Schools$14,702Oakridge Public Schools$13,976Westwood Heights Schools$13,854Croswell-Lexington Community Schools$13,710Williamston Community Schools$13,244Star International Academy$12,021State median, 1,000+ students $14,214
Current spending per student, Michigan districts closest in size to Alma Public Schools, FY23Clintondale Community Schools $18,162; Milan Area $16,234; Dowagiac Union Schools $15,351; West Branch-Rose City Area Schools $15,252; Alma Public Schools $14,702; Oakridge Public Schools $13,976; Westwood Heights Schools $13,854; Croswell-Lexington Community Schools $13,710; Williamston Community Schools $13,244; Star International Academy $12,021; State median, 1,000+ students $14,214.10k15k20kClintondale Community Schools$18,162Milan Area$16,234Dowagiac Union Schools$15,351West Branch-Rose City Area Schools$15,252Alma Public Schools$14,702Oakridge Public Schools$13,976Westwood Heights Schools$13,854Croswell-Lexington Community Schools$13,710Williamston Community Schools$13,244Star International Academy$12,021State median, 1,000+ students $14,214

Where the money came from

$35,043,000 in revenue: 59.8% state, 26.2% local and 14.0% federal. Total spending including $1,952,000 of capital outlay was $31,801,000, or $16,979 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Alma Public Schools revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $20,942,000; Local $9,196,000; Federal $4,905,000; total $35,043,000.
  • State$20,942,000 60%
  • Local$9,196,000 26%
  • Federal$4,905,000 14%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 347 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

1,873 students in 2022-23, 1,844 students in 2023-24, 1,815 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Alma Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,873, 2023-24: 1,844, 2024-25: 1,81505001k1.5k2k2022-231,8732023-241,8442024-251,815
Alma Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,873, 2023-24: 1,844, 2024-25: 1,81505001k1.5k2k2022-231,8732023-241,8442024-251,815
Alma Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,873, 2023-24: 1,844, 2024-25: 1,81505001k1.5k2k2022-231,8732023-241,8442024-251,815
Alma Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,873, 2023-24: 1,844, 2024-25: 1,81505001k1.5k2k2022-231,8732023-241,8442024-251,815

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-231,873119.515.7
2023-241,844119.915.4
2024-251,815117.015.5

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$7,235,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,863 per student

Alma Public Schools booked $7,235,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 120 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $60,407 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 39 in 100 Michigan districts with a figure (state median $62,387, 536 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Michigan teacher salary at $65,198 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$5,387,00074.5%
Special education$762,00010.5%
Vocational$391,0005.4%
Other programs$695,0009.6%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,293 in 2018-19, $3,496 in 2019-20, $3,589 in 2020-21, $3,808 in 2021-22, $3,863 in 2022-23.

Alma Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,293, 2019-20: $3,496, 2020-21: $3,589, 2021-22: $3,808, 2022-23: $3,86301k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2932019-20$3,4962020-21$3,5892021-22$3,8082022-23$3,863
Alma Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,293, 2019-20: $3,496, 2020-21: $3,589, 2021-22: $3,808, 2022-23: $3,86301k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2932019-20$3,4962020-21$3,5892021-22$3,8082022-23$3,863
Alma Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,293, 2019-20: $3,496, 2020-21: $3,589, 2021-22: $3,808, 2022-23: $3,86301k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2932019-20$3,4962020-21$3,5892021-22$3,8082022-23$3,863
Alma Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,293, 2019-20: $3,496, 2020-21: $3,589, 2021-22: $3,808, 2022-23: $3,86301k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2932019-20$3,4962020-21$3,5892021-22$3,8082022-23$3,863

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Alma Public Schools scored proficient or above: 39-43% in reading and 27-31% in math, against 44% in reading and 34% in math across Michigan. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Michigan, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtMichiganStudents tested
Reading and language arts39-43%44%851
Math27-31%34%850

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

80-84% of the 134 students in Alma Public Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 81.8% across Michigan. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtMichigan
Four-year graduation rate80‑84%81.8%
Students in the class134115,301

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

3 elementary schools, 806 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Hillcrest Elementary School40016.768.8%Schoolwide program
Pine Avenue Elementary School26515.667.2%Schoolwide program
Luce Road Elementary School1418.861.7%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 middle school, 457 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Donald L Pavlik Middle School45718.162.6%Eligible, no program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 high school, 552 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Alma Senior High School55215.956.0%Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact Alma Public Schools

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Alma Public Schools

  1. Michigan districts by spending per studentAlma Public Schools ranks 136 of 347 Michigan districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($14,702).#136 of 347
  2. Every school district in MichiganAlma Public Schools is the number 213 by size of 892 Michigan districts, with 1,873 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#213 of 892
  3. Oakridge Public SchoolsThe next larger Michigan district: 1,880 students in fall 2022, $13,976 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,976
  4. West Branch-Rose City Area SchoolsThe next smaller Michigan district: 1,871 students in fall 2022, $15,252 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$15,252
  5. Compare Alma Public Schools with Oakridge Public SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Alma Senior High School, its largest high school552 students in 2024-25, 15.9 per teacher.552
  7. Teacher salary spending across MichiganAlma Public Schools spent $60,407 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $62,387); spending, not a salary.$60,407
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Alma Public Schools

  1. How many schools and students are in Alma Public Schools?
    5 schools were open in 2024-25 (3 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high), enrolling 1,815 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Alma Public Schools spend per student?
    $14,702 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Michigan median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $14,214 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $15,056 per student, up 2.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Alma Public Schools' money come from?
    $35,043,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 59.8% state, 26.2% local and 14.0% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Alma Public Schools live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 476 of the 2,743 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 17.4%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Alma Public Schools spend on teacher salaries?
    $7,235,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,863 per student. Divided by the 120 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $60,407 per teacher, more than 39 in 100 Michigan districts (state median $62,387). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Michigan teacher salary at $65,198 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Alma Public Schools do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Alma Public Schools scored proficient or above: 39-43% in reading and 27-31% in math, against 44% in reading and 34% in math across Michigan. Michigan's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Alma Public Schools?
    80-84% of the 134 students in Alma Public Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 81.8% across Michigan. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Alma Public Schools' NCES district ID?
    2602640. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .