Enrollment
147
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bear Lake, MI
Bear Lake Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Bear Lake Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 260432004120
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 71
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bear Lake Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.3:1
- students per teacher
- 69.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 147
- students enrolled
Bear Lake Elementary School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Bear Lake Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 260432004120 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.3%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bear Lake Elementary School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bear Lake Elementary School
Bear Lake Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Bear Lake, Michigan, enrolling 147 students.
At 16.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Michigan median, within a few percentage points of the 17.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 69.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 147 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 210 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #49.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 147 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Bear Lake Schools, also runs Bear Lake High School (133 students).
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 Bear Lake Elementary School compares
Bear Lake Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.3:1 | ▼ 7% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.3% | ▲ 28% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 147 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
147
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
69.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 45% in Michigan - lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.7%
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
$12,466
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 147 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.5 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
White 86.4%
Hispanic or Latino 12.2%
Two or More 1.4%
Largest group: White at 86.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.8, Bear Lake Elementary School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bear Lake Schools, which includes Bear Lake Elementary School.
$12,466
Per student
-8%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.7%
State 45.8%
Federal 15.4%
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.
How Bear Lake Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Lake High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bear Lake Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 133
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
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.
Similar enrollment (~147 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bear Lake Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Bear Lake Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Bear Lake Schools'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 Bear Lake Elementary School
How many students attend Bear Lake Elementary School?
Bear Lake Elementary School has 147 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bear Lake, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bear Lake Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bear Lake Elementary School is 16.3:1, which is 7% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bear Lake Elementary School?
69.3% of students at Bear Lake Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bear Lake Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Bear Lake Elementary School is White at 86.4% of enrollment, in Bear Lake, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bear Lake Elementary School?
Bear Lake Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Bear Lake Elementary School a good school?
Bear Lake Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. 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 Bear Lake Schools?
Besides Bear Lake Elementary School, Bear Lake Schools also operates Bear Lake High School (133 students). See the Bear Lake Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.