Marcellus Community Schools

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Marcellus, Michigan - 4 schools

An equity score of 49/100 ranks Marcellus Community Schools #365 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $13,508 per pupil, Marcellus Community Schools ranks #279 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

628
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$13,508
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Marcellus Community Schools operates 4 public schools serving 628 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 high, 1 middle 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 Cass County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,508 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 28.4% local, 55.1% state, and 16.6% 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 49/100, ranked #365 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 160:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 47.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 87.0% White, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Volinia Outcome Base School, with a diversity index of 34.5/100.

Its largest campus is Marcellus Elementary School, enrolling 264 students (44% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Volinia Outcome Base School, at 40 students, a 7x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Marcellus Elementary School accounts for 42.0% of all Marcellus Community Schools student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Marcellus 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Marcellus Community Schools school enrollment varies 6.6× across entities

Marcellus Community Schools school enrollment ranges from 40 students (lowest) to 264 students (highest), a spread of 224 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Marcellus Community Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 68.5% 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). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. 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.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Marcellus Community Schools student-counselor ratio is 160:1 — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)

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 Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Marcellus Community Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 47.9% — 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.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

16.6%
Federal
55.1%
State
28.4%
Local

Funding Equity

49
Equity Score
365 / 707
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 4 schools in Marcellus Community Schools.

White 87.0%
Hispanic or Latino 4.8%
African American 0.8%
Multiracial 6.2%
Other 1.3%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 23.4/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Marcellus Community Schools's schools, below the Michigan average of 36.2.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Volinia Outcome Base School 34.5
  2. 2 Marcellus Middle School 23.8
  3. 3 Marcellus Elementary School 17.6
  4. 4 Marcellus High School 17.5

Programs & Resources

160:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
47.9%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Marcellus Community Schools

School Enrollment
Marcellus Elementary School
264
Marcellus High School
160
Marcellus Middle School
136
Volinia Outcome Base School
40

How Marcellus Community Schools Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Michigan districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Keystone Academy Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Concord Community Schools Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Windemere Park Charter Academy Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Muskegon Heights Public School Academy System Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Canton Preparatory High School Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Marcellus Community Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Michigan

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Utica Community Schools
25,744 students · 38 schools · $12,513/pupil
Compare vs Marcellus Community Schools →
Dearborn City School District
20,128 students · 37 schools · $16,677/pupil
Compare vs Marcellus Community Schools →
Ann Arbor Public Schools
17,026 students · 32 schools · $17,642/pupil
Compare vs Marcellus Community Schools →
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools
16,294 students · 25 schools · $13,630/pupil
Compare vs Marcellus Community Schools →

Compare Marcellus Community Schools

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Detroit Public Schools Community District →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Marcellus Community Schools?

Marcellus Community Schools has 4 schools, including 2 combined, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 628 students.

How much does Marcellus Community Schools spend per student?

Marcellus Community Schools spends $13,508 per student. The district has an equity score of 49/100, ranking #365 in Michigan.

What is the demographic composition of Marcellus Community Schools?

Marcellus Community Schools students are 87.0% White, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.8% African American, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Marcellus Community Schools?

Marcellus Community Schools has an equity score of 49/100, ranking #365 out of 707 districts in Michigan.