Enrollment
787
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 263447001840
Beacon Tree Elementary School — Shelby Township, MI
Federal NCES profile for Beacon Tree Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 55
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: Utica Community Schools · 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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.1:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.5%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-75% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Beacon Tree Elementary 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
Beacon Tree Elementary School reports 787 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% above the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 26% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 13.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 75% below the Michigan average and 74% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Utica Community Schools spends $13,844 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.1% from local sources (property taxes), 63.4% from the state, and 9.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Beacon Tree Elementary 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 | 20.1:1 | ▲ 10% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.5% | ▼ 75% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 787 | top 91% | — | — |
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
13.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 75% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
20.1:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 81% in Michigan — lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
18.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$13,844
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 787 Top 91% in Michigan — larger than 9% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 20.1:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 13.5% -75% vs state
NCES ID 263447001840
Student demographics
White 87.8%
Two or More 4.1%
Asian 3.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.6%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 87.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.0%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Utica Community Schools, which includes Beacon Tree Elementary School.
$13,844
Per student
-13%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.1%
State 63.4%
Federal 9.5%
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
- 1,881
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,663
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Enrollment
- 1,625
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,391
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,084
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
Similar other schools in Shelby Township
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Malow Junior High School
Standard public school
1,084 students 22.7:1 students per teacher
Shelby Junior High School
Standard public school
1,073 students 23.8:1 students per teacher
Richard J Duncan Elementary
Standard public school
716 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Crissman Elementary School
Standard public school
586 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Wiley Elementary School
Standard public school
570 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Morgan Elementary School
Standard public school
563 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
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 Beacon Tree Elementary School
How many students attend Beacon Tree Elementary School?
Beacon Tree Elementary School has 787 students enrolled. It is a other school in SHELBY TOWNSHIP, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Beacon Tree Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Beacon Tree Elementary School is 20.1:1, which is 10% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 26% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Beacon Tree Elementary School?
13.5% of students at Beacon Tree Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Beacon Tree Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Beacon Tree Elementary School is White at 87.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in SHELBY TOWNSHIP, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Beacon Tree Elementary School?
Beacon Tree Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.