Enrollment
921
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 260426004094
Bay City Central High School — Bay City, MI
Federal NCES profile for Bay City Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 29
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Bay City School District · Michigan
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
58.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.6%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bay City Central High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Bay City Central High School reports 921 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 58.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% below the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 12% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 60.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 12% above the Michigan average and 17% above the national baseline. The school offers 11 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 307 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 74.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bay City School District spends $15,225 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.2% from local sources (property taxes), 61.2% from the state, and 18.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bay City Central High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Michigan state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.8:1 | ▼ 2% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.6% | ▲ 12% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 921 | top 94% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
60.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 12% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.8:1
students per teacher
— 2% below state mean
Top 60% in Michigan — lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
74.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,225
per pupil, district-wide
— below Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 307 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 921 Top 94% in Michigan — larger than 6% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 58.0
Students per teacher 17.8:1 -2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 60.6% +12% vs state
NCES ID 260426004094
Student demographics
White 64.7%
Hispanic or Latino 15.5%
Two or More 12.2%
African American 6.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 64.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 307:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 74.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bay City School District, which includes Bay City Central High School.
$15,225
Per student
-4%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 20.2%
State 61.2%
Federal 18.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,009
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Enrollment
- 681
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 598
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 474
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 451
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
Similar high schools in Bay City
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Bay City Central High School
How many students attend Bay City Central High School?
Bay City Central High School has 921 students enrolled. It is a high school in BAY CITY, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bay City Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bay City Central High School is 17.8:1, which is 2% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 12% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bay City Central High School?
60.6% of students at Bay City Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bay City Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Bay City Central High School is White at 64.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in BAY CITY, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bay City Central High School?
Bay City Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.