Enrollment
233
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Ishpeming, MI
Birchview School
Federal NCES profile for Birchview School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 261953005616
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Birchview School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Michigan schools.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Ishpeming · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.7:1
- small classes for Michigan
- 57.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Birchview School has class sizes smaller than 79% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Birchview School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Ishpeming, MI.
School address
District: Ishpeming Public School District No. 1 · Michigan
NCES ID 261953005616 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.4%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Birchview School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Birchview School
Birchview School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Ishpeming, Michigan, enrolling 233 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.4% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 233 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 432 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #132.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 233 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Ishpeming Public School District No. 1 also operates Ishpeming Middle School (185 students) and Ishpeming High School (172 students) alongside Birchview School.
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 Birchview School compares
Birchview 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 | 13.7:1 | ▼ 22% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.4% | ▲ 6% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 233 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
233
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% 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
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 21% in Michigan - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
42.9%
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
$14,475
per pupil, district-wide
- above Michigan avg of $13,507
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 233 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.
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 86.7%
Two or More 10.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.3%
African American 0.4%
Hispanic or Latino 0.4%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 86.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.7, Birchview School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ishpeming Public School District No. 1, which includes Birchview School.
$14,475
Per student
+7%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.0%
State 51.0%
Federal 18.0%
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 Birchview School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ishpeming Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ishpeming High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ishpemingnegauneenice Comm Ed Division | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Birchview School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 185
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 172
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 22
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
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 (~233 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Birchview School's federal record.
- Compare Birchview School against another school. Compare schools
- Ishpeming Public School District No. 1'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 Birchview School
How many students attend Birchview School?
Birchview School has 233 students enrolled. It is a public school in Ishpeming, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Birchview School?
The student-teacher ratio at Birchview School is 13.7:1, which is 22% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 13% lower 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 Birchview School?
57.4% of students at Birchview School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Birchview School?
The largest demographic group at Birchview School is White at 86.7% of enrollment, in Ishpeming, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Birchview School?
Birchview School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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).
How does Birchview School rank among schools in Ishpeming?
By Resource Investment Index, Birchview School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Ishpeming, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Ishpeming on the city page.
Is Birchview School a good school?
Birchview School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Michigan schools. 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 Ishpeming Public School District No. 1?
Besides Birchview School, Ishpeming Public School District No. 1 also operates Ishpeming Middle School (185 students), Ishpeming High School (172 students), and Ishpemingnegauneenice Comm Ed Division (22 students). See the Ishpeming Public School District No. 1 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.