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Hillsdale, Michigan - 5 schools
An equity score of 64/100 ranks Hillsdale Community Schools #142 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,879 per pupil, Hillsdale Community Schools ranks #391 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,274
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$12,879
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Hillsdale Community Schools operates 5 public schools serving 1,274 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 elementary, 2 high, 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 Hillsdale County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,879 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 22.0% local, 62.0% state, and 16.1% 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 64/100, ranked #142 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.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (3 AP courses district-wide), a 212.5:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 28.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 87.4% White, 7.0% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Bailey Early Childhood Center, with a diversity index of 34.8/100.
Its largest campus is Gier Elementary School, enrolling 434 students (34% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Bailey Early Childhood Center, at 34 students, a 13x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Gier Elementary School accounts for 34.1% of all Hillsdale Community Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Hillsdale Community Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
Hillsdale Community Schools school enrollment varies 13× across entities
Hillsdale Community Schools school enrollment ranges from 34 students (lowest) to 434 students (highest), a spread of 400 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Hillsdale Community Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 61.9% 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.
Hillsdale Community Schools student-counselor ratio is 213:1 — 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.
Hillsdale Community Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 28.4% — 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 Hillsdale Community Schools is typically wider than the Hillsdale Community Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Hillsdale Community Schools?
Hillsdale Community Schools has 5 schools, including 2 elementary, 2 high, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 1,274 students.
How much does Hillsdale Community Schools spend per student?
Hillsdale Community Schools spends $12,879 per student. The district has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #142 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Hillsdale Community Schools?
Hillsdale Community Schools students are 87.4% White, 7.0% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% African American, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Hillsdale Community Schools?
Hillsdale Community Schools has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #142 out of 707 districts in Michigan.