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Coldwater, Michigan - 5 schools
An equity score of 28/100 ranks Coldwater Community Schools #657 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,844 per pupil, Coldwater Community Schools ranks #581 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,756
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$11,844
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Coldwater Community Schools operates 5 public schools serving 2,756 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 combined 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 Branch County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,844 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 32.6% local, 51.8% state, and 15.6% 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 #657 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 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (13 AP courses district-wide), a 317.5:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 39.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 79.4% White, 13.0% Hispanic or Latino, 3.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Larsen Elementary School, with a diversity index of 37.1/100.
Its largest campus is Coldwater High School, enrolling 981 students (35% of the district's total enrollment).
Coldwater High School accounts for 34.9% of all Coldwater Community Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Coldwater Community 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.
Coldwater Community Schools school enrollment varies 2.6× across entities
Coldwater Community Schools school enrollment ranges from 375 students (lowest) to 981 students (highest), a spread of 606 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.
Coldwater Community Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 57.2% 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.
Coldwater Community Schools student-counselor ratio is 318:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Coldwater Community Schools is typically wider than the Coldwater Community Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Coldwater Community Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 39.3% — 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 Coldwater Community Schools?
Coldwater Community Schools has 5 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 1 combined, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 2,756 students.
How much does Coldwater Community Schools spend per student?
Coldwater Community Schools spends $11,844 per student. The district has an equity score of 28/100, ranking #657 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Coldwater Community Schools?
Coldwater Community Schools students are 79.4% White, 13.0% Hispanic or Latino, 3.8% African American, 1.0% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Coldwater Community Schools?
Coldwater Community Schools has an equity score of 28/100, ranking #657 out of 707 districts in Michigan.