Enrollment
362
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Highland Park, MI
Barber Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Barber Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 260101405502Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Barber Elementary School earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Michigan schools.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Highland Park · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 94.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 362
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Barber Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 schools in Highland Park, MI.
School address
District: Highland Park Public School Academy System · Michigan
NCES ID 260101405502 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Free-lunch eligible
94.3%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+74% vs state
What stands out at Barber Elementary School
Barber Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Highland Park, Michigan, enrolling 362 students.
Economic need is high: 94.3% of students qualify for free meals, 74% above the Michigan average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 362 students, its enrollment sits close to the Michigan median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 306 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #263, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 9/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 77.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 75 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 362 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Highland Park's public schools, it stands alongside George Washington Carver Elementary School (217 students): Barber Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount.
Highland Park Public School Academy System is a single-school charter district, so Barber Elementary School operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Barber Elementary School compares
Barber Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 94.3% | ▲ 74% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 362 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
362
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
94.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 74% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Engagement
77.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,179
per pupil, district-wide
- below Michigan avg of $13,507
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 66 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
African American 95.6%
Two or More 1.9%
Hispanic or Latino 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
White 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 95.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.5, Barber Elementary School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Highland Park Public School Academy System, which includes Barber Elementary School.
$11,179
Per student
-17%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.0%
State 70.9%
Federal 18.0%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Similar other schools in Highland Park
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Michigan, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Barber Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Barber Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Highland Park Public School Academy System's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Barber Elementary School
How many students attend Barber Elementary School?
Barber Elementary School has 362 students enrolled. It is a public school in Highland Park, MI.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Barber Elementary School?
94.3% of students at Barber Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Barber Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Barber Elementary School is African American at 95.6% of enrollment, in Highland Park, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Barber Elementary School?
Barber Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Barber Elementary School rank among schools in Highland Park?
By Resource Investment Index, Barber Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 schools in Highland Park, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Highland Park on the city page.
Is Barber Elementary School a good school?
Barber Elementary School earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Michigan schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Highland Park Public School Academy System?
None; Highland Park Public School Academy System is a single-school charter district, and Barber Elementary School is its only campus.
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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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.