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Three Oaks, Michigan - 3 schools
An equity score of 65/100 ranks River Valley School District #136 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $18,831 per pupil, River Valley School District ranks #43 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
497
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$18,831
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
River Valley School District operates 3 public schools serving 497 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 elementary 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 Berrien County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,831 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 83 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending. See how Michigan compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 81.7% local, 13.0% state, and 5.3% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 65/100, ranked #136 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 3 schools offering Advanced Placement (2 AP courses district-wide), a 256.3:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 37.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 83.9% White, 9.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% Asian across the district's schools.
River Valley Middlehigh School accounts for 46.2% of all River Valley School District student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of River Valley School District a distant remainder — means River Valley School District-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.
River Valley School District school enrollment varies 2.3× across entities
River Valley School District school enrollment ranges from 114 students (lowest) to 265 students (highest), a spread of 151 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.
River Valley School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 54.9% 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.
River Valley School District student-counselor ratio is 256:1 — 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 River Valley School District is typically wider than the River Valley School District-aggregate figure suggests.
River Valley School District chronic absenteeism rate is 37.0% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
How many schools are in River Valley School District?
River Valley School District has 3 schools, including 2 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 497 students.
How much does River Valley School District spend per student?
River Valley School District spends $18,831 per student. The district has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #136 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of River Valley School District?
River Valley School District students are 83.9% White, 9.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% Asian, 0.4% African American, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for River Valley School District?
River Valley School District has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #136 out of 707 districts in Michigan.