Enrollment
89
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 261638005278
Central High School — Grand Haven, MI
Federal NCES profile for Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 18/100.
👥 Class size 33
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 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: Grand Haven Area 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)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.4%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central High 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
Central High School reports 89 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 6.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% 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 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 59.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% above the Michigan average and 15% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Grand Haven Area Public Schools spends $15,402 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 44.7% from local sources (property taxes), 48.4% from the state, and 6.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (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 Central High 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 | 16.8:1 | ▼ 8% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.4% | ▲ 9% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 89 | 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
59.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 9% 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
16.8:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 48% in Michigan — lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
100.0%
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
$15,402
per pupil, district-wide
— below Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints 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
Enrollment 89 Top 12% in Michigan — larger than 88% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 6.0
Students per teacher 16.8:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 59.4% +9% vs state
NCES ID 261638005278
Student demographics
White 85.4%
Hispanic or Latino 9.0%
Two or More 4.5%
African American 1.1%
Largest group: White at 85.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Grand Haven Area Public Schools, which includes Central High School.
$15,402
Per student
-3%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 44.7%
State 48.4%
Federal 6.8%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,630
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 740
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 733
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 328
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 308
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
Similar high schools in Grand Haven
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Central High School
How many students attend Central High School?
Central High School has 89 students enrolled. It is a high school in GRAND HAVEN, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central High School is 16.8:1, which is 8% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 6% higher 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 Central High School?
59.4% of students at Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Central High School is White at 85.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in GRAND HAVEN, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central High School?
Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.