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.
Sand Lake, Michigan - 4 schools
An equity score of 44/100 ranks Tri County Area Schools #433 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,858 per pupil, Tri County Area Schools ranks #394 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,719
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$12,858
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Tri County Area Schools operates 4 public schools serving 1,719 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 elementary, 1 high, 1 combined, 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 Kent County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,858 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 22.6% local, 62.9% state, and 14.6% 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 44/100, ranked #433 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.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 4 schools offering Advanced Placement (2 AP courses district-wide), a 236.5:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 24.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 87.4% White, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Tri County Middle School, with a diversity index of 25.1/100.
Its largest campus is Sand Lake Elementary School, enrolling 780 students (39% of the district's total enrollment).
Sand Lake Elementary School accounts for 38.6% of all Tri County Area Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Tri County Area Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
Tri County Area Schools school enrollment varies 2.0× across entities
Tri County Area Schools school enrollment ranges from 381 students (lowest) to 780 students (highest), a spread of 399 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.
Tri County Area Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 52.0% 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.
Tri County Area Schools student-counselor ratio is 237:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Tri County Area Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 24.6% — 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 Tri County Area Schools is typically wider than the Tri County Area Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Tri County Area Schools has 4 schools, including 1 elementary, 1 high, 1 combined, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 1,719 students.
How much does Tri County Area Schools spend per student?
Tri County Area Schools spends $12,858 per student. The district has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #433 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Tri County Area Schools?
Tri County Area Schools students are 87.4% White, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% Asian, 0.5% African American, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Tri County Area Schools?
Tri County Area Schools has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #433 out of 707 districts in Michigan.