An equity score of 44/100 ranks Bear Lake Schools #445 of 702 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,914 per pupil, Bear Lake Schools ranks #301 of 812 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
290
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$14,914
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Bear Lake Schools operates 2 public schools serving 290 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 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 Manistee County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,914 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 812 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending. See how Michigan compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 38.7% local, 45.8% state, and 15.4% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 44/100, ranked #445 of 702 in Michigan against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 140:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 27.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 83.5% White, 13.3% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% African American across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Bear Lake Elementary School, enrolling 147 students (53% of the district's total enrollment).
Bear Lake Elementary School accounts for 50.7% of all Bear Lake Schools student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Bear Lake Schools a distant remainder — means Bear Lake Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: combined. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Because it contains a majority of the affected population, enrollment-weighted aggregates will sit closer to this entity's reported fields than to those of smaller peers; an unweighted entity count answers a different question.
Bear Lake Schools reports 64.8% free-lunch eligibility
The reported share sits between 62.5% and 75%, above a simple majority but below the highest descriptive band used here. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Bear Lake Schools student-counselor ratio is 140:1 — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)
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 Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.
Bear Lake Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 27.7% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within Bear Lake Schools is typically wider than the Bear Lake Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Bear Lake Schools has 2 schools, including 2 combined. Total enrollment is 290 students.
How much does Bear Lake Schools spend per student?
Bear Lake Schools spends $14,914 per student. The district has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #445 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Bear Lake Schools?
Bear Lake Schools students are 83.5% White, 13.3% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% African American, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Bear Lake Schools?
Bear Lake Schools has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #445 out of 702 districts in Michigan.