Enrollment
462
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 261461000901
Central Woodlands 56 School — Ada, MI
Federal NCES profile for Central Woodlands 56 School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 58
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: Forest Hills 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.1:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.7%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-78% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Woodlands 56 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 Woodlands 56 School reports 462 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 14% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 11.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 78% below the Michigan average and 77% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 462 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Forest Hills Public Schools spends $16,549 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 42.7% from local sources (property taxes), 52.0% from the state, and 5.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), 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 Woodlands 56 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 | 18.1:1 | ▼ 1% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.7% | ▼ 78% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 462 | top 69% | — | — |
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
11.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 78% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.1:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 63% in Michigan — lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,549
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 462 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 462 Top 69% in Michigan — larger than 31% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 18.1:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 11.7% -78% vs state
NCES ID 261461000901
Student demographics
White 82.3%
Asian 6.1%
Two or More 5.4%
Hispanic or Latino 4.3%
African American 1.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 82.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 462:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.9%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forest Hills Public Schools, which includes Central Woodlands 56 School.
$16,549
Per student
+4%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 42.7%
State 52.0%
Federal 5.4%
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
- 1,088
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 999
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Enrollment
- 768
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 520
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
Similar elementary schools in Ada
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) 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 Woodlands 56 School
How many students attend Central Woodlands 56 School?
Central Woodlands 56 School has 462 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in ADA, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Woodlands 56 School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Woodlands 56 School is 18.1:1, which is 1% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 14% 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 Woodlands 56 School?
11.7% of students at Central Woodlands 56 School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Woodlands 56 School?
The largest demographic group at Central Woodlands 56 School is White at 82.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in ADA, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Woodlands 56 School?
Central Woodlands 56 School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) 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.