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Niles, Michigan - 5 schools
An equity score of 28/100 ranks Brandywine Community Schools #663 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,521 per pupil, Brandywine Community Schools ranks #639 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,304
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$11,521
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Brandywine Community Schools operates 5 public schools serving 1,304 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle 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 Berrien County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,521 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending. See how Michigan compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 24.2% local, 66.8% state, and 9.0% 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 28/100, ranked #663 of 707 in Michigan against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 411:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 34.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 80.3% White, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 2.9% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Merritt Elementary School, with a diversity index of 38.5/100.
Its largest campus is Brandywine Elementary School, enrolling 379 students (29% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Brandywine Innovation Academy, at 69 students, a 5x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Brandywine Elementary School accounts for 29.1% of all Brandywine Community Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Brandywine Community Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
Brandywine Community Schools school enrollment varies 5.5× across entities
Brandywine Community Schools school enrollment ranges from 69 students (lowest) to 379 students (highest), a spread of 310 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.
Brandywine Community Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 61.6% 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.
Brandywine Community Schools student-counselor ratio is 411:1 — 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.
Brandywine Community Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 34.3% — 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.
How many schools are in Brandywine Community Schools?
Brandywine Community Schools has 5 schools, including 1 elementary, 1 high, 2 combined, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 1,304 students.
How much does Brandywine Community Schools spend per student?
Brandywine Community Schools spends $11,521 per student. The district has an equity score of 28/100, ranking #663 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Brandywine Community Schools?
Brandywine Community Schools students are 80.3% White, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 2.9% African American, 0.4% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Brandywine Community Schools?
Brandywine Community Schools has an equity score of 28/100, ranking #663 out of 707 districts in Michigan.