Benton Harbor Area Schools

Public school district · Berrien County · Michigan · NCES district ID 2604830

Benton Harbor Area Schools spent $20,390 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 97% of the other Michigan districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $14,214). Its 6 schools enrolled 1,227 students in 2024-25; 23.1% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $25,288 per student, up 24.0% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 50-54% (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 Benton Harbor Area Schools in enrollment (1,419 to 1,466 students) and Benton Harbor Area Schools itself.

Current spending per student, Michigan districts closest in size to Benton Harbor Area Schools, FY23Benton Harbor Area Schools $20,390; Bridgeport-Spaulding Community $14,375; Watervliet Public Schools $14,138; Montrose Community $13,486; Chesaning Union Schools $13,259; New Haven Community Schools $13,219; Ida Public Schools $12,583; Houghton-Portage Township Schools $12,288; University Preparatory Science and Math (PSAD) $12,198; Westfield Academy $11,905; State median, 1,000+ students $14,214.10k15k20k25kBenton Harbor Area Schools$20,390Bridgeport-Spaulding Community$14,375Watervliet Public Schools$14,138Montrose Community$13,486Chesaning Union Schools$13,259New Haven Community Schools$13,219Ida Public Schools$12,583Houghton-Portage Township Scho…$12,288University Preparatory Science…$12,198Westfield Academy$11,905State median, 1,000+ students $14,214
Current spending per student, Michigan districts closest in size to Benton Harbor Area Schools, FY23Benton Harbor Area Schools $20,390; Bridgeport-Spaulding Community $14,375; Watervliet Public Schools $14,138; Montrose Community $13,486; Chesaning Union Schools $13,259; New Haven Community Schools $13,219; Ida Public Schools $12,583; Houghton-Portage Township Schools $12,288; University Preparatory Science and Math (PSAD) $12,198; Westfield Academy $11,905; State median, 1,000+ students $14,214.10k15k20k25kBenton Harbor Area Schools$20,390Bridgeport-Spaulding Community$14,375Watervliet Public Schools$14,138Montrose Community$13,486Chesaning Union Schools$13,259New Haven Community Schools$13,219Ida Public Schools$12,583Houghton-Portage Township Schools$12,288University Preparatory Science and …$12,198Westfield Academy$11,905State median, 1,000+ students $14,214
Current spending per student, Michigan districts closest in size to Benton Harbor Area Schools, FY23Benton Harbor Area Schools $20,390; Bridgeport-Spaulding Community $14,375; Watervliet Public Schools $14,138; Montrose Community $13,486; Chesaning Union Schools $13,259; New Haven Community Schools $13,219; Ida Public Schools $12,583; Houghton-Portage Township Schools $12,288; University Preparatory Science and Math (PSAD) $12,198; Westfield Academy $11,905; State median, 1,000+ students $14,214.10k15k20k25kBenton Harbor Area Schools$20,390Bridgeport-Spaulding Community$14,375Watervliet Public Schools$14,138Montrose Community$13,486Chesaning Union Schools$13,259New Haven Community Schools$13,219Ida Public Schools$12,583Houghton-Portage Township Schools$12,288University Preparatory Science and Math (PS…$12,198Westfield Academy$11,905State median, 1,000+ students $14,214
Current spending per student, Michigan districts closest in size to Benton Harbor Area Schools, FY23Benton Harbor Area Schools $20,390; Bridgeport-Spaulding Community $14,375; Watervliet Public Schools $14,138; Montrose Community $13,486; Chesaning Union Schools $13,259; New Haven Community Schools $13,219; Ida Public Schools $12,583; Houghton-Portage Township Schools $12,288; University Preparatory Science and Math (PSAD) $12,198; Westfield Academy $11,905; State median, 1,000+ students $14,214.10k15k20k25kBenton Harbor Area Schools$20,390Bridgeport-Spaulding Community$14,375Watervliet Public Schools$14,138Montrose Community$13,486Chesaning Union Schools$13,259New Haven Community Schools$13,219Ida Public Schools$12,583Houghton-Portage Township Schools$12,288University Preparatory Science and Math…$12,198Westfield Academy$11,905State median, 1,000+ students $14,214

Where the money came from

$48,053,000 in revenue: 23.1% state, 23.6% local and 53.4% federal. Total spending including $260,000 of capital outlay was $31,250,000, or $21,581 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Benton Harbor Area Schools revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $11,086,000; Local $11,317,000; Federal $25,650,000; total $48,053,000.
  • State$11,086,000 23%
  • Local$11,317,000 24%
  • Federal$25,650,000 53%

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

1,424 students in 2022-23, 1,292 students in 2023-24, 1,227 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Benton Harbor Area Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,424, 2023-24: 1,292, 2024-25: 1,22705001k1.5k2022-231,4242023-241,2922024-251,227
Benton Harbor Area Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,424, 2023-24: 1,292, 2024-25: 1,22705001k1.5k2022-231,4242023-241,2922024-251,227
Benton Harbor Area Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,424, 2023-24: 1,292, 2024-25: 1,22705001k1.5k2022-231,4242023-241,2922024-251,227
Benton Harbor Area Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,424, 2023-24: 1,292, 2024-25: 1,22705001k1.5k2022-231,4242023-241,2922024-251,227

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-231,42462.722.7
2023-241,292107.212.1
2024-251,227109.611.2

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

$4,609,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,183 per student

Benton Harbor Area Schools booked $4,609,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 70 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 $65,590 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 63 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$2,949,00064.0%
Special education$793,00017.2%
Vocational$199,0004.3%
Other programs$668,00014.5%

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

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $2,286 in 2018-19, $2,367 in 2019-20, $2,723 in 2020-21, $2,762 in 2021-22, $3,183 in 2022-23.

Benton Harbor Area Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,286, 2019-20: $2,367, 2020-21: $2,723, 2021-22: $2,762, 2022-23: $3,18301k2k3k4k2018-19$2,2862019-20$2,3672020-21$2,7232021-22$2,7622022-23$3,183
Benton Harbor Area Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,286, 2019-20: $2,367, 2020-21: $2,723, 2021-22: $2,762, 2022-23: $3,18301k2k3k4k2018-19$2,2862019-20$2,3672020-21$2,7232021-22$2,7622022-23$3,183
Benton Harbor Area Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,286, 2019-20: $2,367, 2020-21: $2,723, 2021-22: $2,762, 2022-23: $3,18301k2k3k4k2018-19$2,2862019-20$2,3672020-21$2,7232021-22$2,7622022-23$3,183
Benton Harbor Area Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,286, 2019-20: $2,367, 2020-21: $2,723, 2021-22: $2,762, 2022-23: $3,18301k2k3k4k2018-19$2,2862019-20$2,3672020-21$2,7232021-22$2,7622022-23$3,183

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 Benton Harbor Area Schools scored proficient or above: 4-8% in reading and 0-5% 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 arts4-8%44%583
Math0-5%34%578

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

50-54% of the 162 students in Benton Harbor Area 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 rate50‑54%81.8%
Students in the class162115,301

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, 459 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Martin Luther King Jr Elementary22910.486.5%Schoolwide program
Fair Plain East Elementary15011.591.3%Schoolwide program
Discovery Enrichment Center807.387.5%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, 240 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Fair Plain Middle School24010.995.8%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 high school, 469 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Benton Harbor High School46914.292.8%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 other school, 59 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center596.996.6%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.

Contact Benton Harbor Area 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 Benton Harbor Area Schools

  1. Michigan districts by spending per studentBenton Harbor Area Schools ranks 12 of 347 Michigan districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($20,390).#12 of 347
  2. Every school district in MichiganBenton Harbor Area Schools is the number 271 by size of 892 Michigan districts, with 1,448 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#271 of 892
  3. Bridgeport-Spaulding Community School DistrictThe next larger Michigan district: 1,452 students in fall 2022, $14,375 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$14,375
  4. Houghton-Portage Township SchoolsThe next smaller Michigan district: 1,445 students in fall 2022, $12,288 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$12,288
  5. Compare Benton Harbor Area Schools with Bridgeport-Spaulding Community School DistrictEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Benton Harbor High School, its largest high school469 students in 2024-25, 14.2 per teacher.469
  7. Teacher salary spending across MichiganBenton Harbor Area Schools spent $65,590 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $62,387); spending, not a salary.$65,590
  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 Benton Harbor Area Schools

  1. How many schools and students are in Benton Harbor Area Schools?
    6 schools were open in 2024-25 (3 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high, 1 other), enrolling 1,227 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Benton Harbor Area Schools spend per student?
    $20,390 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 $25,288 per student, up 24.0% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Benton Harbor Area Schools' money come from?
    $48,053,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 23.1% state, 23.6% local and 53.4% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Benton Harbor Area Schools live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 1,745 of the 5,258 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 33.2%, 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 Benton Harbor Area Schools spend on teacher salaries?
    $4,609,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,183 per student. Divided by the 70 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $65,590 per teacher, more than 63 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 Benton Harbor Area Schools do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Benton Harbor Area Schools scored proficient or above: 4-8% in reading and 0-5% 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 Benton Harbor Area Schools?
    50-54% of the 162 students in Benton Harbor Area 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 Benton Harbor Area Schools' NCES district ID?
    2604830. 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 .