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Buchanan, Michigan - 6 schools
An equity score of 52/100 ranks Buchanan Community Schools #306 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,590 per pupil, Buchanan Community Schools ranks #445 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,566
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$12,590
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Buchanan Community Schools operates 6 public schools serving 1,566 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 combined, 2 elementary 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 $12,590 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 25.6% local, 61.6% state, and 12.8% 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 52/100, ranked #306 of 707 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.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (3 AP courses district-wide), a 375.8:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 37.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 81.3% White, 4.8% African American, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Buchanan Step Up, with a diversity index of 49.7/100.
Its largest campus is Buchanan High School, enrolling 561 students (36% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Buchanan Step Up, at 15 students, a 37x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Buchanan High School accounts for 35.8% of all Buchanan Community Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Buchanan Community Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. 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.
Buchanan Community Schools school enrollment varies 37× across entities
Buchanan Community Schools school enrollment ranges from 15 students (lowest) to 561 students (highest), a spread of 546 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Buchanan Community Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 52.9% 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.
Buchanan Community Schools student-counselor ratio is 376:1 — 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.
Buchanan Community Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 37.2% — 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 Buchanan Community Schools?
Buchanan Community Schools has 6 schools, including 4 combined, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 1,566 students.
How much does Buchanan Community Schools spend per student?
Buchanan Community Schools spends $12,590 per student. The district has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #306 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Buchanan Community Schools?
Buchanan Community Schools students are 81.3% White, 4.8% African American, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 0.1% Asian, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Buchanan Community Schools?
Buchanan Community Schools has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #306 out of 707 districts in Michigan.