Bear Lake Schools operates 2 public schools serving 290 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 other schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 280 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Manistee County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,537 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 38.7% local, 45.8% state, and 15.4% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $50,839 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 29/100, ranked #709 of 756 in Michigan against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
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.
Bear Lake Elementary School accounts for 52.5% of all Bear Lake Schools student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Bear Lake Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: other. 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.
Bear Lake Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 64.5% 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.
Bear Lake Schools student-counselor ratio is 140:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
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 other. Total enrollment is 290 students.
How much does Bear Lake Schools spend per student?
Bear Lake Schools spends $13,537 per student. The district has an equity score of 29/100, ranking #709 in Michigan.
What is the average teacher salary in Bear Lake Schools?
The average teacher salary in Bear Lake Schools is $50,839 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near Bear Lake Schools?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Manistee County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
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 29/100, ranking #709 out of 756 districts in Michigan. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.