Enrollment
292
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 260495004182
Benzie Central Sr High School — Benzonia, MI
Federal NCES profile for Benzie Central Sr High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 7
📚 AP courses 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 71
📋 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: Benzie County Central 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)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.2:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.0%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benzie Central Sr 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
Benzie Central Sr High School reports 292 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% 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 46% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 1% below the Michigan average and 4% above the national baseline. The school offers 4 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 146 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 53.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Benzie County Central Schools spends $19,159 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 60.6% from local sources (property taxes), 28.0% from the state, and 11.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (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 Benzie Central Sr 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 | 23.2:1 | ▲ 27% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.0% | ▼ 1% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 292 | top 39% | — | — |
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
54.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 1% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.2:1
students per teacher
— 27% above state mean
Top 92% in Michigan — lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
53.8%
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
$19,159
per pupil, district-wide
— above Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 146 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 65 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 28.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 292 Top 39% in Michigan — larger than 61% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 23.2:1 +27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.0% -1% vs state
NCES ID 260495004182
Student demographics
White 87.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.5%
Two or More 3.8%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
African American 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 87.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 4
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 146:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 53.8%
In-school suspensions 18
Out-of-school suspensions 65
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Benzie County Central Schools, which includes Benzie Central Sr High School.
$19,159
Per student
+21%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 60.6%
State 28.0%
Federal 11.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 239
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 209
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Enrollment
- 180
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 131
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 85
- Students per teacher
- 70:1
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 Benzie Central Sr High School
How many students attend Benzie Central Sr High School?
Benzie Central Sr High School has 292 students enrolled. It is a high school in BENZONIA, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benzie Central Sr High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Benzie Central Sr High School is 23.2:1, which is 27% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 46% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Benzie Central Sr High School?
54.0% of students at Benzie Central Sr High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benzie Central Sr High School?
The largest demographic group at Benzie Central Sr High School is White at 87.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in BENZONIA, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benzie Central Sr High School?
Benzie Central Sr High School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (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.