Enrollment
85
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 262001001147
Brethren Middle School — Brethren, MI
Federal NCES profile for Brethren Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 27
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 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: Kaleva Norman Dickson 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)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.2%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Brethren Middle 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
Brethren Middle School reports 85 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 4.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 15% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 71.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 31% above the Michigan average and 37% above 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 62.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Kaleva Norman Dickson School District spends $16,733 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 41.1% from local sources (property taxes), 34.2% from the state, and 24.7% 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 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 Brethren Middle 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 | 18.3:1 | ▲ 1% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.2% | ▲ 31% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 85 | top 12% | — | — |
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
71.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 31% 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
18.3:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 65% in Michigan — lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
62.4%
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
$16,733
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Per 258 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 29.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 43.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 85 Top 12% in Michigan — larger than 88% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 4.0
Students per teacher 18.3:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 71.2% +31% vs state
NCES ID 262001001147
Student demographics
White 94.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.5%
African American 1.2%
Two or More 1.2%
Largest group: White at 94.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.3
Students per counselor 258:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 62.4%
In-school suspensions 25
Out-of-school suspensions 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kaleva Norman Dickson School District, which includes Brethren Middle School.
$16,733
Per student
+6%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 41.1%
State 34.2%
Federal 24.7%
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
- 289
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 140
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
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 Brethren Middle School
How many students attend Brethren Middle School?
Brethren Middle School has 85 students enrolled. It is a middle school in BRETHREN, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Brethren Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Brethren Middle School is 18.3:1, which is 1% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Brethren Middle School?
71.2% of students at Brethren Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Brethren Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Brethren Middle School is White at 94.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in BRETHREN, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Brethren Middle School?
Brethren Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (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.