Pontiac City School District

Public school district · Oakland County · Michigan · NCES district ID 2628740

Pontiac City School District spent $21,463 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 98% of the other Michigan districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $14,214). Its 10 schools enrolled 3,774 students in 2024-25; 20.9% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $24,507 per student, up 14.2% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 56% (Michigan: 81.8%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Michigan districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Pontiac City in enrollment (3,261 to 3,510 students) and Pontiac City itself.

Current spending per student, Michigan districts closest in size to Pontiac City, FY23Pontiac City $21,463; Muskegon Public Schools $19,051; Southgate Community $17,801; Dexter Community Schools $16,827; Mt. Pleasant City $15,449; Lowell Area Schools $13,907; Swartz Creek Community Schools $13,796; Mason Public Schools (Ingham) $13,693; Niles Community Schools $13,291; Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy $11,099; State median, 1,000+ students $14,214.5k10k15k20k25kPontiac City$21,463Muskegon Public Schools$19,051Southgate Community$17,801Dexter Community Schools$16,827Mt. Pleasant City$15,449Lowell Area Schools$13,907Swartz Creek Community Schools$13,796Mason Public Schools (Ingham)$13,693Niles Community Schools$13,291Michigan Great Lakes Virtual A…$11,099State median, 1,000+ students $14,214
Current spending per student, Michigan districts closest in size to Pontiac City, FY23Pontiac City $21,463; Muskegon Public Schools $19,051; Southgate Community $17,801; Dexter Community Schools $16,827; Mt. Pleasant City $15,449; Lowell Area Schools $13,907; Swartz Creek Community Schools $13,796; Mason Public Schools (Ingham) $13,693; Niles Community Schools $13,291; Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy $11,099; State median, 1,000+ students $14,214.5k10k15k20k25kPontiac City$21,463Muskegon Public Schools$19,051Southgate Community$17,801Dexter Community Schools$16,827Mt. Pleasant City$15,449Lowell Area Schools$13,907Swartz Creek Community Schools$13,796Mason Public Schools (Ingham)$13,693Niles Community Schools$13,291Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy$11,099State median, 1,000+ students $14,214
Current spending per student, Michigan districts closest in size to Pontiac City, FY23Pontiac City $21,463; Muskegon Public Schools $19,051; Southgate Community $17,801; Dexter Community Schools $16,827; Mt. Pleasant City $15,449; Lowell Area Schools $13,907; Swartz Creek Community Schools $13,796; Mason Public Schools (Ingham) $13,693; Niles Community Schools $13,291; Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy $11,099; State median, 1,000+ students $14,214.5k15k25kPontiac City$21,463Muskegon Public Schools$19,051Southgate Community$17,801Dexter Community Schools$16,827Mt. Pleasant City$15,449Lowell Area Schools$13,907Swartz Creek Community Schools$13,796Mason Public Schools (Ingham)$13,693Niles Community Schools$13,291Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy$11,099State median, 1,000+ students $14,214
Current spending per student, Michigan districts closest in size to Pontiac City, FY23Pontiac City $21,463; Muskegon Public Schools $19,051; Southgate Community $17,801; Dexter Community Schools $16,827; Mt. Pleasant City $15,449; Lowell Area Schools $13,907; Swartz Creek Community Schools $13,796; Mason Public Schools (Ingham) $13,693; Niles Community Schools $13,291; Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy $11,099; State median, 1,000+ students $14,214.5k15k25kPontiac City$21,463Muskegon Public Schools$19,051Southgate Community$17,801Dexter Community Schools$16,827Mt. Pleasant City$15,449Lowell Area Schools$13,907Swartz Creek Community Schools$13,796Mason Public Schools (Ingham)$13,693Niles Community Schools$13,291Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy$11,099State median, 1,000+ students $14,214

Where the money came from

$102,610,000 in revenue: 20.9% state, 55.5% local and 23.5% federal. Total spending including $60,646,000 of capital outlay was $139,658,000, or $41,052 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Pontiac City School District revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $21,476,000; Local $56,991,000; Federal $24,143,000; total $102,610,000.
  • State$21,476,000 21%
  • Local$56,991,000 56%
  • Federal$24,143,000 24%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 347 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment rose from 2022-23 to 2024-25

3,332 students in 2022-23, 3,588 students in 2023-24, 3,774 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Pontiac City School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,332, 2023-24: 3,588, 2024-25: 3,77401k2k3k4k2022-233,3322023-243,5882024-253,774
Pontiac City School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,332, 2023-24: 3,588, 2024-25: 3,77401k2k3k4k2022-233,3322023-243,5882024-253,774
Pontiac City School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,332, 2023-24: 3,588, 2024-25: 3,77401k2k3k4k2022-233,3322023-243,5882024-253,774
Pontiac City School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,332, 2023-24: 3,588, 2024-25: 3,77401k2k3k4k2022-233,3322023-243,5882024-253,774

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-233,332198.616.8
2023-243,588224.916.0
2024-253,774220.317.1

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$10,954,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,220 per student

Pontiac City School District booked $10,954,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 223 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $49,209 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 6 in 100 Michigan districts with a figure (state median $62,387, 536 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Michigan teacher salary at $65,198 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$8,091,00073.9%
Special education$1,393,00012.7%
Vocational$150,0001.4%
Other programs$1,320,00012.1%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $2,978 in 2018-19, $2,782 in 2019-20, $3,256 in 2020-21, $3,071 in 2021-22, $3,220 in 2022-23.

Pontiac City School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,978, 2019-20: $2,782, 2020-21: $3,256, 2021-22: $3,071, 2022-23: $3,22001k2k3k4k2018-19$2,9782019-20$2,7822020-21$3,2562021-22$3,0712022-23$3,220
Pontiac City School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,978, 2019-20: $2,782, 2020-21: $3,256, 2021-22: $3,071, 2022-23: $3,22001k2k3k4k2018-19$2,9782019-20$2,7822020-21$3,2562021-22$3,0712022-23$3,220
Pontiac City School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,978, 2019-20: $2,782, 2020-21: $3,256, 2021-22: $3,071, 2022-23: $3,22001k2k3k4k2018-19$2,9782019-20$2,7822020-21$3,2562021-22$3,0712022-23$3,220
Pontiac City School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,978, 2019-20: $2,782, 2020-21: $3,256, 2021-22: $3,071, 2022-23: $3,22001k2k3k4k2018-19$2,9782019-20$2,7822020-21$3,2562021-22$3,0712022-23$3,220

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Pontiac City School District scored proficient or above: 16-20% in reading and 8-12% in math, against 44% in reading and 34% in math across Michigan. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Michigan, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtMichiganStudents tested
Reading and language arts16-20%44%1,562
Math8-12%34%1,555

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

56% of the 249 students in Pontiac City School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 81.8% across Michigan. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtMichigan
Four-year graduation rate56%81.8%
Students in the class249115,301

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

5 elementary schools, 1,927 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Whitman Elementary School61111.972.5%Schoolwide program
Owen Elementary School38322.078.3%Schoolwide program
Alcott School33423.263.5%Schoolwide program
Herrington School31920.485.0%Schoolwide program
Rogers School28020.668.9%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 middle school, 790 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Pontiac Middle School79019.969.6%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

3 high schools, 1,000 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Pontiac High School99217.265.0%Schoolwide program
Tier III Intervention Academy77.881.0%Not Title I
Bethune Adult Education11.0not reportedNot Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 other school, 57 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Kennedy Center576.659.6%Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

One more school on file: small, closed or in an earlier directory

These records carry fewer federal fields than a full school page needs, so each is summarized here with what NCES reports.

Bethune Adult Education

High school in Pontiac; open in 2024-25; 1 student; 1.0 students per teacher.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 and earlier directories: the last year each school was listed, its students and its teachers.

Contact Pontiac City School District

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Pontiac City School District

  1. Michigan districts by spending per studentPontiac City School District ranks 7 of 347 Michigan districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($21,463).#7 of 347
  2. Every school district in MichiganPontiac City School District is the number 99 by size of 892 Michigan districts, with 3,402 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#99 of 892
  3. Lowell Area SchoolsThe next larger Michigan district: 3,498 students in fall 2022, $13,907 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,907
  4. Michigan Great Lakes Virtual AcademyThe next smaller Michigan district: 3,389 students in fall 2022, $11,099 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$11,099
  5. Compare Pontiac City School District with Lowell Area SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Pontiac High School, its largest high school992 students in 2024-25, 17.2 per teacher.992
  7. Teacher salary spending across MichiganPontiac City School District spent $49,209 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $62,387); spending, not a salary.$49,209
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Pontiac City School District

  1. How many schools and students are in Pontiac City School District?
    10 schools were open in 2024-25 (5 elementary, 1 middle, 3 high, 1 other), enrolling 3,774 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Pontiac City School District spend per student?
    $21,463 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Michigan median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $14,214 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $24,507 per student, up 14.2% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Pontiac City School District's money come from?
    $102,610,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 20.9% state, 55.5% local and 23.5% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Pontiac City School District live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 3,030 of the 12,061 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 25.1%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Pontiac City School District spend on teacher salaries?
    $10,954,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,220 per student. Divided by the 223 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $49,209 per teacher, more than 6 in 100 Michigan districts (state median $62,387). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Michigan teacher salary at $65,198 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Pontiac City School District do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Pontiac City School District scored proficient or above: 16-20% in reading and 8-12% in math, against 44% in reading and 34% in math across Michigan. Michigan's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Pontiac City School District?
    56% of the 249 students in Pontiac City School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 81.8% across Michigan. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Pontiac City School District's NCES district ID?
    2628740. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .