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Ionia, Michigan - 8 schools
An equity score of 32/100 ranks Ionia Public Schools #617 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,191 per pupil, Ionia Public Schools ranks #686 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,833
Total Enrollment
8
Schools
$11,191
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Ionia Public Schools operates 8 public schools serving 2,833 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 combined, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary 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 Ionia County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,191 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 20.1% local, 65.0% state, and 14.9% 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 32/100, ranked #617 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 (14 AP courses district-wide), a 251.8:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 46.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 81.2% White, 13.6% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Emerson School, with a diversity index of 43.8/100.
Its largest campus is Ionia High School, enrolling 774 students (29% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Douglas R Welch High School, at 73 students, a 11x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Ionia High School accounts for 27.3% of all Ionia Public Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Ionia Public 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.
Ionia Public Schools school enrollment varies 11× across entities
Ionia Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 73 students (lowest) to 774 students (highest), a spread of 701 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.
Ionia Public Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 58.3% 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.
Ionia Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 252:1 — 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 Ionia Public Schools is typically wider than the Ionia Public Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Ionia Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 46.0% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Ionia Public Schools has 8 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 5 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 2,833 students.
How much does Ionia Public Schools spend per student?
Ionia Public Schools spends $11,191 per student. The district has an equity score of 32/100, ranking #617 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Ionia Public Schools?
Ionia Public Schools students are 81.2% White, 13.6% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% African American, averaged across 8 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Ionia Public Schools?
Ionia Public Schools has an equity score of 32/100, ranking #617 out of 707 districts in Michigan.