Lowell Area Schools

Public school district · Kent County · Michigan · NCES district ID 2622050

Lowell Area Schools spent $13,907 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 56% of the other Michigan districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $14,214). Its 7 schools enrolled 3,455 students in 2024-25; 61.8% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $14,193 per student, up 2.1% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 97% (Michigan: 81.8%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Michigan districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Lowell Area Schools in enrollment (3,386 to 3,610 students) and Lowell Area Schools itself.

Current spending per student, Michigan districts closest in size to Lowell Area Schools, FY23Pontiac City $21,463; Dexter Community Schools $16,827; Lincoln Consolidated Schools $16,330; Greenville Public Schools $14,834; Lowell Area Schools $13,907; Swartz Creek Community Schools $13,796; Reeths-Puffer Schools $13,476; Mattawan Consolidated $13,267; Northwest Community Schools $12,624; Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy $11,099; State median, 1,000+ students $14,214.5k10k15k20k25kPontiac City$21,463Dexter Community Schools$16,827Lincoln Consolidated Schools$16,330Greenville Public Schools$14,834Lowell Area Schools$13,907Swartz Creek Community Schools$13,796Reeths-Puffer Schools$13,476Mattawan Consolidated$13,267Northwest Community Schools$12,624Michigan Great Lakes Virtual A…$11,099State median, 1,000+ students $14,214
Current spending per student, Michigan districts closest in size to Lowell Area Schools, FY23Pontiac City $21,463; Dexter Community Schools $16,827; Lincoln Consolidated Schools $16,330; Greenville Public Schools $14,834; Lowell Area Schools $13,907; Swartz Creek Community Schools $13,796; Reeths-Puffer Schools $13,476; Mattawan Consolidated $13,267; Northwest Community Schools $12,624; Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy $11,099; State median, 1,000+ students $14,214.5k10k15k20k25kPontiac City$21,463Dexter Community Schools$16,827Lincoln Consolidated Schools$16,330Greenville Public Schools$14,834Lowell Area Schools$13,907Swartz Creek Community Schools$13,796Reeths-Puffer Schools$13,476Mattawan Consolidated$13,267Northwest Community Schools$12,624Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy$11,099State median, 1,000+ students $14,214
Current spending per student, Michigan districts closest in size to Lowell Area Schools, FY23Pontiac City $21,463; Dexter Community Schools $16,827; Lincoln Consolidated Schools $16,330; Greenville Public Schools $14,834; Lowell Area Schools $13,907; Swartz Creek Community Schools $13,796; Reeths-Puffer Schools $13,476; Mattawan Consolidated $13,267; Northwest Community Schools $12,624; Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy $11,099; State median, 1,000+ students $14,214.5k15k25kPontiac City$21,463Dexter Community Schools$16,827Lincoln Consolidated Schools$16,330Greenville Public Schools$14,834Lowell Area Schools$13,907Swartz Creek Community Schools$13,796Reeths-Puffer Schools$13,476Mattawan Consolidated$13,267Northwest Community Schools$12,624Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy$11,099State median, 1,000+ students $14,214
Current spending per student, Michigan districts closest in size to Lowell Area Schools, FY23Pontiac City $21,463; Dexter Community Schools $16,827; Lincoln Consolidated Schools $16,330; Greenville Public Schools $14,834; Lowell Area Schools $13,907; Swartz Creek Community Schools $13,796; Reeths-Puffer Schools $13,476; Mattawan Consolidated $13,267; Northwest Community Schools $12,624; Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy $11,099; State median, 1,000+ students $14,214.5k15k25kPontiac City$21,463Dexter Community Schools$16,827Lincoln Consolidated Schools$16,330Greenville Public Schools$14,834Lowell Area Schools$13,907Swartz Creek Community Schools$13,796Reeths-Puffer Schools$13,476Mattawan Consolidated$13,267Northwest Community Schools$12,624Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy$11,099State median, 1,000+ students $14,214

Where the money came from

$61,437,000 in revenue: 61.8% state, 32.9% local and 5.3% federal. Total spending including $9,951,000 of capital outlay was $63,588,000, or $18,178 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Lowell Area Schools revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $37,976,000; Local $20,208,000; Federal $3,253,000; total $61,437,000.
  • State$37,976,000 62%
  • Local$20,208,000 33%
  • Federal$3,253,000 5%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 347 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment held steady from 2022-23 to 2024-25

3,476 students in 2022-23, 3,415 students in 2023-24, 3,455 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Lowell Area Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,476, 2023-24: 3,415, 2024-25: 3,45501k2k3k4k2022-233,4762023-243,4152024-253,455
Lowell Area Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,476, 2023-24: 3,415, 2024-25: 3,45501k2k3k4k2022-233,4762023-243,4152024-253,455
Lowell Area Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,476, 2023-24: 3,415, 2024-25: 3,45501k2k3k4k2022-233,4762023-243,4152024-253,455
Lowell Area Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,476, 2023-24: 3,415, 2024-25: 3,45501k2k3k4k2022-233,4762023-243,4152024-253,455

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-233,476194.817.8
2023-243,415190.417.9
2024-253,455192.118.0

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$13,925,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,981 per student

Lowell Area Schools booked $13,925,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 199 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $70,116 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 82 in 100 Michigan districts with a figure (state median $62,387, 536 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Michigan teacher salary at $65,198 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$12,296,00088.3%
Special education$1,170,0008.4%
Vocational$86,0000.6%
Other programs$373,0002.7%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,235 in 2018-19, $3,350 in 2019-20, $3,526 in 2020-21, $3,746 in 2021-22, $3,981 in 2022-23.

Lowell Area Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,235, 2019-20: $3,350, 2020-21: $3,526, 2021-22: $3,746, 2022-23: $3,98101k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2352019-20$3,3502020-21$3,5262021-22$3,7462022-23$3,981
Lowell Area Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,235, 2019-20: $3,350, 2020-21: $3,526, 2021-22: $3,746, 2022-23: $3,98101k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2352019-20$3,3502020-21$3,5262021-22$3,7462022-23$3,981
Lowell Area Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,235, 2019-20: $3,350, 2020-21: $3,526, 2021-22: $3,746, 2022-23: $3,98101k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2352019-20$3,3502020-21$3,5262021-22$3,7462022-23$3,981
Lowell Area Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,235, 2019-20: $3,350, 2020-21: $3,526, 2021-22: $3,746, 2022-23: $3,98101k2k3k4k2018-19$3,2352019-20$3,3502020-21$3,5262021-22$3,7462022-23$3,981

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Lowell Area Schools scored proficient or above: 63-67% in reading and 56-60% in math, against 44% in reading and 34% in math across Michigan. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Michigan, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtMichiganStudents tested
Reading and language arts63-67%44%1,531
Math56-60%34%1,529

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

97% of the 279 students in Lowell Area Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 81.8% across Michigan. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtMichigan
Four-year graduation rate97%81.8%
Students in the class279115,301

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

4 elementary schools, 1,588 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Cherry Creek Elementary School48518.226.6%Targeted program
Murray Lake Elementary43318.811.8%Not Title I
Alto Elementary School41716.613.7%Not Title I
Bushnell Elementary School25313.526.1%Targeted program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 middle school, 790 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Lowell Middle School79019.217.5%Eligible, no program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

2 high schools, 1,077 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Lowell Senior High School1,05818.714.7%Not Title I
Unity Alternative School1920.042.1%Eligible, no program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact Lowell Area Schools

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Lowell Area Schools

  1. Michigan districts by spending per studentLowell Area Schools ranks 194 of 347 Michigan districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($13,907).#194 of 347
  2. Every school district in MichiganLowell Area Schools is the number 98 by size of 892 Michigan districts, with 3,498 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#98 of 892
  3. Swartz Creek Community SchoolsThe next larger Michigan district: 3,510 students in fall 2022, $13,796 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,796
  4. Pontiac City School DistrictThe next smaller Michigan district: 3,402 students in fall 2022, $21,463 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$21,463
  5. Compare Lowell Area Schools with Swartz Creek Community SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Lowell Senior High School, its largest high school1,058 students in 2024-25, 18.7 per teacher.1,058
  7. Teacher salary spending across MichiganLowell Area Schools spent $70,116 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $62,387); spending, not a salary.$70,116
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Lowell Area Schools

  1. How many schools and students are in Lowell Area Schools?
    7 schools were open in 2024-25 (4 elementary, 1 middle, 2 high), enrolling 3,455 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Lowell Area Schools spend per student?
    $13,907 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Michigan median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $14,214 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $14,193 per student, up 2.1% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Lowell Area Schools' money come from?
    $61,437,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 61.8% state, 32.9% local and 5.3% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Lowell Area Schools live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 198 of the 4,288 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 4.6%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Lowell Area Schools spend on teacher salaries?
    $13,925,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,981 per student. Divided by the 199 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $70,116 per teacher, more than 82 in 100 Michigan districts (state median $62,387). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Michigan teacher salary at $65,198 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Lowell Area Schools do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Lowell Area Schools scored proficient or above: 63-67% in reading and 56-60% in math, against 44% in reading and 34% in math across Michigan. Michigan's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Lowell Area Schools?
    97% of the 279 students in Lowell Area Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 81.8% across Michigan. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Lowell Area Schools' NCES district ID?
    2622050. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .