Enrollment
489
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 261860005548
Collins Elementary School — Houghton Lake, MI
Federal NCES profile for Collins Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 20/100.
👥 Class size 31
🌟 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: Houghton Lake 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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.7%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Collins Elementary 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
Collins Elementary School reports 489 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 9% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 71.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 32% above the Michigan average and 38% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 68.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Houghton Lake Community Schools spends $12,646 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 57.2% from local sources (property taxes), 23.4% from the state, and 19.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Collins Elementary 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 | 17.3:1 | ▼ 5% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.7% | ▲ 32% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 489 | top 73% | — | — |
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
71.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 32% 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
17.3:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 54% in Michigan — lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
68.1%
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
$12,646
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
26
in-school suspensions + 58 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 489 Top 73% in Michigan — larger than 27% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 17.3:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 71.7% +32% vs state
NCES ID 261860005548
Student demographics
White 88.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.1%
Two or More 5.1%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: White at 88.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 68.1%
In-school suspensions 26
Out-of-school suspensions 58
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Houghton Lake Community Schools, which includes Collins Elementary School.
$12,646
Per student
-20%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 57.2%
State 23.4%
Federal 19.3%
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
- 484
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 103
- Students per teacher
- 2.9:1
Similar other schools in Houghton Lake
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Collins Elementary School
How many students attend Collins Elementary School?
Collins Elementary School has 489 students enrolled. It is a other school in HOUGHTON LAKE, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Collins Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Collins Elementary School is 17.3:1, which is 5% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 9% 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 Collins Elementary School?
71.7% of students at Collins Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Collins Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Collins Elementary School is White at 88.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in HOUGHTON LAKE, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Collins Elementary School?
Collins Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (F) based on 3 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.