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Dryden, Michigan - 2 schools
An equity score of 47/100 ranks Dryden Community Schools #387 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,092 per pupil, Dryden Community Schools ranks #532 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
470
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$12,092
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Dryden Community Schools operates 2 public schools serving 470 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 Lapeer County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,092 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 31.8% local, 53.1% state, and 15.1% 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 47/100, ranked #387 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.
a 214:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 27.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 90.4% White, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% Asian across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Dryden Elementary School, enrolling 224 students (51% of the district's total enrollment).
Dryden Elementary School accounts for 47.7% of all Dryden Community Schools student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Dryden Community Schools a distant remainder — means Dryden 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.
Dryden Community Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 51.5% 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.
Dryden Community Schools student-counselor ratio is 214:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Dryden Community Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 27.5% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within Dryden Community Schools is typically wider than the Dryden Community Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Dryden Community Schools has 2 schools, including 2 combined. Total enrollment is 470 students.
How much does Dryden Community Schools spend per student?
Dryden Community Schools spends $12,092 per student. The district has an equity score of 47/100, ranking #387 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Dryden Community Schools?
Dryden Community Schools students are 90.4% White, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% Asian, 0.7% African American, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Dryden Community Schools?
Dryden Community Schools has an equity score of 47/100, ranking #387 out of 707 districts in Michigan.