Enrollment
438
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Byron Center, MI
Brown Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Brown Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 260756004333
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Brown Elementary School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- #2 of 4
- elementary schools in Byron Center · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.8:1
- students per teacher
- 19.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Brown Elementary School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Brown Elementary School ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Byron Center, MI.
School address
District: Byron Center Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 260756004333 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.6%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Brown Elementary School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Brown Elementary School
Brown Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Byron Center, Michigan, enrolling 438 students.
At 16.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Michigan median, within a few percentage points of the 17.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 19.6% free-meal eligibility runs 64% below the Michigan average.
Enrollment of 438 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Among 449 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #323, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Asian (9%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 438 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Byron Center Public Schools also operates Byron Center High School (1,387 students) and Byron Center West Middle School (729 students) alongside Brown Elementary 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 Brown Elementary School compares
Brown Elementary 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 | 16.8:1 | ▼ 4% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.6% | ▼ 64% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 438 | top 35% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
438
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 64% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 51% in Michigan - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.9%
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
$12,206
per pupil, district-wide
- below Michigan avg of $13,507
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 438 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 75.3%
Asian 8.7%
Two or More 7.8%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 75.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.4, Brown Elementary School is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Byron Center Public Schools, which includes Brown Elementary School.
$12,206
Per student
-10%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.0%
State 51.6%
Federal 9.5%
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 Brown Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Byron Center High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Byron Center West Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robert L Nickels Intermediate School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Marshall Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Countryside Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Brown Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,387
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 729
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 705
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 463
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 426
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar elementary 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 (~438 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Brown Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Brown Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Byron Center Public Schools'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 Brown Elementary School
How many students attend Brown Elementary School?
Brown Elementary School has 438 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Byron Center, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Brown Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Brown Elementary School is 16.8:1, which is 4% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 7% higher 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 Brown Elementary School?
19.6% of students at Brown Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Brown Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Brown Elementary School is White at 75.3% of enrollment, in Byron Center, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Brown Elementary School?
Brown Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Brown Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Byron Center?
By Resource Investment Index, Brown Elementary School ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Byron Center, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Byron Center on the city page.
Is Brown Elementary School a good school?
Brown Elementary School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. 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 Byron Center Public Schools?
Besides Brown Elementary School, Byron Center Public Schools also operates Byron Center High School (1,387 students), Byron Center West Middle School (729 students), and Robert L Nickels Intermediate School (705 students). See the Byron Center Public Schools 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.