Enrollment
981
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 261014004502
Coldwater High School — Coldwater, MI
Federal NCES profile for Coldwater High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 0
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 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: Coldwater Community 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)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.5:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.2%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Coldwater 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
Coldwater High School reports 981 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 25.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 40% above the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 60% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 47.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% below the Michigan average and 9% below the national baseline. The school offers 13 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 327 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 44.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Coldwater Community Schools spends $13,740 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.6% from local sources (property taxes), 51.8% from the state, and 15.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (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 Coldwater 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 | 25.5:1 | ▲ 40% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.2% | ▼ 13% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 981 | top 95% | — | — |
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
47.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
25.5:1
students per teacher
— 40% above state mean
Top 94% in Michigan — lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
44.5%
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
$13,740
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 327 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
32
in-school suspensions + 87 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 981 Top 95% in Michigan — larger than 5% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 25.5:1 +40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 47.2% -13% vs state
NCES ID 261014004502
Student demographics
White 79.8%
Hispanic or Latino 14.3%
African American 2.9%
Two or More 2.2%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 79.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 13
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 327:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 44.5%
In-school suspensions 32
Out-of-school suspensions 87
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Coldwater Community Schools, which includes Coldwater High School.
$13,740
Per student
-13%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.6%
State 51.8%
Federal 15.6%
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
- 616
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 463
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 378
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Enrollment
- 375
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
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 Coldwater High School
How many students attend Coldwater High School?
Coldwater High School has 981 students enrolled. It is a high school in COLDWATER, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Coldwater High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Coldwater High School is 25.5:1, which is 40% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 60% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Coldwater High School?
47.2% of students at Coldwater High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Coldwater High School?
The largest demographic group at Coldwater High School is White at 79.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in COLDWATER, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Coldwater High School?
Coldwater High School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (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.