Enrollment
750
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 260894004437
Chelsea High School — Chelsea, MI
Federal NCES profile for Chelsea High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 38
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 8
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: Chelsea 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)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.8%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-76% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chelsea 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
Chelsea High School reports 750 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 51.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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 3% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 12.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 76% below the Michigan average and 75% below the national baseline. The school offers 12 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 250 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Chelsea School District spends $22,452 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.1% from local sources (property taxes), 48.3% from the state, and 5.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Chelsea 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 | 15.4:1 | ▼ 15% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.8% | ▼ 76% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 750 | top 90% | — | — |
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
12.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 76% 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
15.4:1
students per teacher
— 15% below state mean
Top 33% in Michigan — lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
36.8%
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
$22,452
per pupil, district-wide
— above Michigan avg of $15,842
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 250 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 750 Top 90% in Michigan — larger than 10% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 51.0
Students per teacher 15.4:1 -15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 12.8% -76% vs state
NCES ID 260894004437
Student demographics
White 88.0%
Hispanic or Latino 6.3%
Two or More 4.4%
Asian 0.8%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 88.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 12
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 250:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.8%
In-school suspensions 20
Out-of-school suspensions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chelsea School District, which includes Chelsea High School.
$22,452
Per student
+42%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
+15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 46.1%
State 48.3%
Federal 5.6%
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
- 525
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 485
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 476
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
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 Chelsea High School
How many students attend Chelsea High School?
Chelsea High School has 750 students enrolled. It is a high school in CHELSEA, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chelsea High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Chelsea High School is 15.4:1, which is 15% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 3% lower 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 Chelsea High School?
12.8% of students at Chelsea High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chelsea High School?
The largest demographic group at Chelsea High School is White at 88.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in CHELSEA, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chelsea High School?
Chelsea High School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.