Enrollment
357
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 262034005713
Bowen Elementary — Grand Rapids, MI
Federal NCES profile for Bowen Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 39
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 33
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: Kentwood Public 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.6%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bowen Elementary 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
Bowen Elementary reports 357 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% 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 4% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 75.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 39% above the Michigan average and 46% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1785 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Kentwood Public Schools spends $16,672 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.0% from local sources (property taxes), 50.9% from the state, and 15.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F), 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 Bowen Elementary 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 | 15.2:1 | ▼ 16% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.6% | ▲ 39% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 357 | top 50% | — | — |
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
75.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 39% 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
15.2:1
students per teacher
— 16% below state mean
Top 31% in Michigan — lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.9%
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
$16,672
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
Counselors0.2 FTE
Per 1785 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 357 Top 50% in Michigan — larger than 50% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 15.2:1 -16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 75.6% +39% vs state
NCES ID 262034005713
Student demographics
African American 35.3%
Asian 23.5%
Hispanic or Latino 18.2%
White 17.6%
Two or More 5.3%
Largest group: African American at 35.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.2
Students per counselor 1785:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.9%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kentwood Public Schools, which includes Bowen Elementary.
$16,672
Per student
+5%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.0%
State 50.9%
Federal 15.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,068
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 842
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 742
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 700
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 674
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
Similar other schools in Grand Rapids
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Prepnet Virtual Academy
Standard public school
1,080 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Excel Charter Academy
Standard public school
791 students 20.6:1 students per teacher
West Mi Academy of Environmental Science
Standard public school
666 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Southwest Elementary Academia Bilingue
Standard public school
661 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Knapp Forest Elementary School
Standard public school
520 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Ca Frost Environmental Science Academy Elementary
Standard public school
476 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
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 Bowen Elementary
How many students attend Bowen Elementary?
Bowen Elementary has 357 students enrolled. It is a other school in GRAND RAPIDS, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bowen Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bowen Elementary is 15.2:1, which is 16% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 4% 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 Bowen Elementary?
75.6% of students at Bowen Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bowen Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bowen Elementary is African American at 35.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in GRAND RAPIDS, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bowen Elementary?
Bowen Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) 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.