Enrollment
144
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 261457005150
Fife Lake Elementary School — Fife Lake, MI
Federal NCES profile for Fife Lake Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 71
📋 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: Forest Area 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)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.4%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fife Lake 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
Fife Lake Elementary School reports 144 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 12.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 34% 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 24% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 63.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 17% above the Michigan average and 22% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 144 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 71.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Forest Area Community Schools spends $15,869 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.2% from local sources (property taxes), 56.4% from the state, and 19.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), 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 Fife Lake 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 34% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.4% | ▲ 17% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 144 | top 18% | — | — |
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
63.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 17% 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
12.1:1
students per teacher
— 34% below state mean
Top 11% in Michigan — lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
71.5%
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
$15,869
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 144 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 144 Top 18% in Michigan — larger than 82% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 12.0
Students per teacher 12.1:1 -34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 63.4% +17% vs state
NCES ID 261457005150
Student demographics
White 71.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 18.1%
African American 4.2%
Two or More 3.5%
Hispanic or Latino 2.8%
Largest group: White at 71.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 144:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 71.5%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forest Area Community Schools, which includes Fife Lake Elementary School.
$15,869
Per student
+0%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.2%
State 56.4%
Federal 19.4%
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
- 193
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 156
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
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 Fife Lake Elementary School
How many students attend Fife Lake Elementary School?
Fife Lake Elementary School has 144 students enrolled. It is a other school in FIFE LAKE, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fife Lake Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Fife Lake Elementary School is 12.1:1, which is 34% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 24% 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 Fife Lake Elementary School?
63.4% of students at Fife Lake Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fife Lake Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Fife Lake Elementary School is White at 71.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in FIFE LAKE, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fife Lake Elementary School?
Fife Lake Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) 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.