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East Lansing, Michigan - 8 schools
An equity score of 32/100 ranks East Lansing School District #615 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,101 per pupil, East Lansing School District ranks #529 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,788
Total Enrollment
8
Schools
$12,101
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
East Lansing School District operates 8 public schools serving 3,788 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Ingham County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,101 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 44.5% local, 45.9% state, and 9.6% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 32/100, ranked #615 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 8 schools offering Advanced Placement (25 AP courses district-wide), a 245.4:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 36.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 52.7% White, 17.0% African American, 11.8% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Donley Elementary School, with a diversity index of 74.1/100.
Its largest campus is East Lansing High School, enrolling 1,231 students (33% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Red Cedar School, at 189 students, a 7x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
East Lansing High School accounts for 32.5% of all East Lansing School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means East Lansing School District-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.
East Lansing School District school enrollment varies 6.5× across entities
East Lansing School District school enrollment ranges from 189 students (lowest) to 1,231 students (highest), a spread of 1,042 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.
East Lansing School District student-counselor ratio is 245:1 — 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.
East Lansing School District chronic absenteeism rate is 36.5% — 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 East Lansing School District?
East Lansing School District has 8 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 6 combined. Total enrollment is 3,788 students.
How much does East Lansing School District spend per student?
East Lansing School District spends $12,101 per student. The district has an equity score of 32/100, ranking #615 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of East Lansing School District?
East Lansing School District students are 52.7% White, 17.0% African American, 11.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, averaged across 8 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for East Lansing School District?
East Lansing School District has an equity score of 32/100, ranking #615 out of 707 districts in Michigan.