Enrollment
15
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Buchanan, MI
Buchanan Step Up
Federal NCES profile for Buchanan Step Up, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 260714008702
👥 S:T ratio 80
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buchanan Step Up earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Michigan schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Michigan.
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 5:1
- small classes for Michigan
- 72.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 15
- students enrolled
Buchanan Step Up has class sizes smaller than 97% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Buchanan Community Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 260714008702 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-71% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.7%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buchanan Step Up compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buchanan Step Up
Buchanan Step Up is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Buchanan, Michigan, enrolling 15 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 5:1, Buchanan Step Up is leaner than roughly 97% of Michigan schools and 71% under the state's 17.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 72.7% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 97% of Michigan schools, with 15 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 37 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #10.
Its student body is led by White (67%) and Two or More (20%) (diversity index 50/100).
Among Buchanan's public schools, it stands alongside Buchanan Virtual Academy (49 students): Buchanan Step Up is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (5:1 vs 16.3:1).
Buchanan Community Schools also operates Buchanan High School (561 students) and Buchanan Middle School (358 students) alongside Buchanan Step Up.
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 Buchanan Step Up compares
Buchanan Step Up on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 5:1 | ▼ 71% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.7% | ▲ 34% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 15 | top 97% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
5:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
15
Bigger than 2% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
72.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 34% 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
5:1
students per teacher
- 71% below state mean
Top 3% in Michigan - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$12,590
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 66.7%
Two or More 20.0%
African American 13.3%
Largest group: White at 66.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.7, Buchanan Step Up is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buchanan Community Schools, which includes Buchanan Step Up.
$12,590
Per student
-7%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.6%
State 61.6%
Federal 12.8%
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 Buchanan Step Up Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Buchanan Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Moccasin Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ottawa Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Buchanan Virtual Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buchanan Step Up's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 561
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 358
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 354
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 230
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 49
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
Similar other schools in Buchanan
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~15 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buchanan Step Up's federal record.
- Compare Buchanan Step Up against another school. Compare schools
- Buchanan Community 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 Buchanan Step Up
How many students attend Buchanan Step Up?
Buchanan Step Up has 15 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Buchanan, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buchanan Step Up?
The student-teacher ratio at Buchanan Step Up is 5:1, which is 71% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 68% 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 Buchanan Step Up?
72.7% of students at Buchanan Step Up are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buchanan Step Up?
The largest demographic group at Buchanan Step Up is White at 66.7% of enrollment, in Buchanan, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buchanan Step Up?
Buchanan Step Up has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
Is Buchanan Step Up a good school?
Buchanan Step Up earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Michigan schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Michigan. 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 Buchanan Community Schools?
Besides Buchanan Step Up, Buchanan Community Schools also operates Buchanan High School (561 students), Buchanan Middle School (358 students), and Moccasin Elementary School (354 students). See the Buchanan Community 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.