Cadillac Area Public Schools

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Cadillac, Michigan - 6 schools

An equity score of 29/100 ranks Cadillac Area Public Schools #642 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $11,603 per pupil, Cadillac Area Public Schools ranks #623 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

3,158
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$11,603
Per-Pupil Spending
High, Combined
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Cadillac Area Public Schools operates 6 public schools serving 3,158 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 high, 2 combined, 1 middle, 1 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 Wexford County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,603 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 30.1% local, 57.6% state, and 12.3% 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 29/100, ranked #642 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.

Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (6 AP courses district-wide), a 438.2:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 45.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 89.4% White, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Franklin Elementary School, with a diversity index of 26.5/100.

Its largest campus is Cadillac Senior High School, enrolling 903 students (30% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Cadillac Innovation High School, at 164 students, a 6x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Cadillac Senior High School accounts for 28.6% of all Cadillac Area Public Schools student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Cadillac Area Public Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Cadillac Area Public Schools school enrollment varies 5.5× across entities

Cadillac Area Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 164 students (lowest) to 903 students (highest), a spread of 739 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Cadillac Area Public Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 64.3% 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). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. 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.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Cadillac Area Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 438:1 — 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.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Cadillac Area Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 45.9% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

12.3%
Federal
57.6%
State
30.1%
Local

Funding Equity

29
Equity Score
642 / 707
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores below average on funding equity. High reliance on local revenue or lower spending may contribute.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 6 schools in Cadillac Area Public Schools.

White 89.4%
Hispanic or Latino 4.2%
African American 1.2%
Asian 0.8%
Multiracial 3.4%
Other 1.1%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 19.7/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Cadillac Area Public Schools's schools, below the Michigan average of 36.2.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Franklin Elementary School 26.5
  2. 2 Cadillac Innovation High School 22.5
  3. 3 Forest View Elementary School 18.9
  4. 4 Mackinaw Trail Middle School 17.3
  5. 5 Lincoln Elementary School 16.9

Programs & Resources

1 / 6
Schools with AP
6 AP courses total
438.2:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
45.9%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Cadillac Area Public Schools

School Enrollment
Cadillac Senior High School
903
Mackinaw Trail Middle School
683
Franklin Elementary School
563
Lincoln Elementary School
480
Forest View Elementary School
257
Cadillac Innovation High School
164

How Cadillac Area Public Schools Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Michigan districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Thornapple Kellogg School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Ferndale Public Schools Similar size Higher spending Similar funding mix
Warren Woods Public Schools Similar size Higher spending Similar funding mix
Cedar Springs Public Schools Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Dewitt Public Schools Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Cadillac Area Public Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Michigan

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Utica Community Schools
25,744 students · 38 schools · $12,513/pupil
Compare vs Cadillac Area Public Schools →
Dearborn City School District
20,128 students · 37 schools · $16,677/pupil
Compare vs Cadillac Area Public Schools →
Ann Arbor Public Schools
17,026 students · 32 schools · $17,642/pupil
Compare vs Cadillac Area Public Schools →

Compare Cadillac Area Public Schools

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Detroit Public Schools Community District →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Cadillac Area Public Schools?

Cadillac Area Public Schools has 6 schools, including 2 high, 1 middle, 2 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 3,158 students.

How much does Cadillac Area Public Schools spend per student?

Cadillac Area Public Schools spends $11,603 per student. The district has an equity score of 29/100, ranking #642 in Michigan.

What is the demographic composition of Cadillac Area Public Schools?

Cadillac Area Public Schools students are 89.4% White, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% African American, 0.8% Asian, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Cadillac Area Public Schools?

Cadillac Area Public Schools has an equity score of 29/100, ranking #642 out of 707 districts in Michigan.