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Plainwell, Michigan - 6 schools
An equity score of 23/100 ranks Plainwell Community Schools #685 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,416 per pupil, Plainwell Community Schools ranks #653 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,623
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$11,416
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Plainwell Community Schools operates 6 public schools serving 2,623 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 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 Allegan County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,416 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 27.1% local, 62.4% state, and 10.4% 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 23/100, ranked #685 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 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (8 AP courses district-wide), a 913:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 24.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 87.9% White, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 1.6% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Starr Elementary School, with a diversity index of 28.6/100.
Its largest campus is Plainwell High School, enrolling 828 students (32% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Renaissance High School, at 86 students, a 10x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Plainwell High School accounts for 31.6% of all Plainwell Community Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Plainwell Community 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.
Plainwell Community Schools school enrollment varies 9.6× across entities
Plainwell Community Schools school enrollment ranges from 86 students (lowest) to 828 students (highest), a spread of 742 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.
Plainwell Community Schools student-counselor ratio is 913:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 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.
Plainwell Community Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 24.9% — 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 Plainwell Community Schools is typically wider than the Plainwell Community Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Plainwell Community Schools?
Plainwell Community Schools has 6 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 4 combined. Total enrollment is 2,623 students.
How much does Plainwell Community Schools spend per student?
Plainwell Community Schools spends $11,416 per student. The district has an equity score of 23/100, ranking #685 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Plainwell Community Schools?
Plainwell Community Schools students are 87.9% White, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 1.6% African American, 0.5% Asian, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Plainwell Community Schools?
Plainwell Community Schools has an equity score of 23/100, ranking #685 out of 707 districts in Michigan.