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Benton Harbor, Michigan - 2 schools
An equity score of 65/100 ranks Countryside Academy #131 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,048 per pupil, Countryside Academy ranks #352 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
758
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$13,048
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Countryside Academy operates 2 public schools serving 758 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 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 Berrien County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,048 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending. See how Michigan compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 1.8% local, 76.2% state, and 22.0% 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 65/100, ranked #131 of 707 in Michigan against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 386:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 36.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 56.1% African American, 31.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% White across the district's schools.
Countryside Academy Middlehigh School accounts for 50.1% of all Countryside Academy student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Countryside Academy a distant remainder — means Countryside Academy-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.
Countryside Academy has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 86.0% 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 — including this one — 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.
Countryside Academy student-counselor ratio is 386:1 — 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.
Countryside Academy chronic absenteeism rate is 36.0% — 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.
Countryside Academy has 2 schools, including 2 combined. Total enrollment is 758 students.
How much does Countryside Academy spend per student?
Countryside Academy spends $13,048 per student. The district has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #131 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Countryside Academy?
Countryside Academy students are 56.1% African American, 31.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% White, 0.1% Asian, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Countryside Academy?
Countryside Academy has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #131 out of 707 districts in Michigan.