Enrollment
258
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 261770000087
Blackbird Elementary School — Harbor Springs, MI
Federal NCES profile for Blackbird Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 69
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: Harbor Springs School District · 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)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.9%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Blackbird 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
Blackbird Elementary School reports 258 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 13.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 30% below the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 19% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 28.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 47% below the Michigan average and 44% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 258 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Harbor Springs School District spends $24,135 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 86.4% from local sources (property taxes), 9.0% from the state, and 4.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Blackbird 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 30% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.9% | ▼ 47% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 258 | top 33% | — | — |
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
28.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 47% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
— 30% below state mean
Top 14% in Michigan — lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
12.4%
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
$24,135
per pupil, district-wide
— above Michigan avg of $15,842
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 258 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
Enrollment 258 Top 33% in Michigan — larger than 67% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 13.0
Students per teacher 12.8:1 -30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 28.9% -47% vs state
NCES ID 261770000087
Student demographics
White 87.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
Two or More 5.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 87.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 258:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harbor Springs School District, which includes Blackbird Elementary School.
$24,135
Per student
+52%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
+24%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 86.4%
State 9.0%
Federal 4.6%
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
- 260
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 233
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
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 Blackbird Elementary School
How many students attend Blackbird Elementary School?
Blackbird Elementary School has 258 students enrolled. It is a other school in HARBOR SPRINGS, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Blackbird Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Blackbird Elementary School is 12.8:1, which is 30% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 19% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Blackbird Elementary School?
28.9% of students at Blackbird Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Blackbird Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Blackbird Elementary School is White at 87.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in HARBOR SPRINGS, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Blackbird Elementary School?
Blackbird Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.