Enrollment
78
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Clarklake, MI
Columbia Alternative Education
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Alternative Education, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 10/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 260699001117
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbia Alternative Education earns 10/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Michigan schools.
- 10
- Resource Index · Lower
- 26:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 60.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 78
- students enrolled
Columbia Alternative Education has class sizes larger than 94% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Columbia School District · Michigan
NCES ID 260699001117 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+49% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.2%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia Alternative Education compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbia Alternative Education
Columbia Alternative Education is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Clarklake, Michigan, enrolling 78 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26:1 is larger than about 94% of Michigan schools and 49% above the 17.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 60.2% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 78 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 124 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #120, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 21/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 89.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Columbia School District also operates Columbia Central High School (637 students) and Columbia Upper Elementary School (406 students) alongside Columbia Alternative Education.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Columbia Alternative Education compares
Columbia Alternative Education on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 26:1 | ▲ 49% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.2% | ▲ 11% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 78 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
78
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% 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
26:1
students per teacher
- 49% above state mean
Top 94% in Michigan - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
89.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,762
per pupil, district-wide
- below Michigan avg of $13,507
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that 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 + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 88.5%
Two or More 6.4%
Hispanic or Latino 5.1%
Largest group: White at 88.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.0, Columbia Alternative Education is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia School District, which includes Columbia Alternative Education.
$11,762
Per student
-13%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.7%
State 49.6%
Federal 9.8%
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.
How Columbia Alternative Education Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Central High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Columbia Upper Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Columbia Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Columbia Alternative Education's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 637
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 406
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 307
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Michigan, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~78 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~26:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbia Alternative Education's federal record.
- Compare Columbia Alternative Education against another school. Compare schools
- Columbia School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Columbia Alternative Education
How many students attend Columbia Alternative Education?
Columbia Alternative Education has 78 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Clarklake, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Alternative Education?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Alternative Education is 26:1, which is 49% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 66% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Columbia Alternative Education?
60.2% of students at Columbia Alternative Education are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia Alternative Education?
The largest demographic group at Columbia Alternative Education is White at 88.5% of enrollment, in Clarklake, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Alternative Education?
Columbia Alternative Education has a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Columbia Alternative Education a good school?
Columbia Alternative Education earns 10/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Michigan schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Columbia School District?
Besides Columbia Alternative Education, Columbia School District also operates Columbia Central High School (637 students), Columbia Upper Elementary School (406 students), and Columbia Elementary School (307 students). See the Columbia School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.