Enrollment
144
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fife Lake, MI
Fife Lake Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Fife Lake Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 261457005150
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 71
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fife Lake Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Michigan schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Fife Lake · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12:1
- small classes for Michigan
- 63.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Fife Lake Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 87% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fife Lake Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Fife Lake, MI.
School address
District: Forest Area Community Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 261457005150 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-31% 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
What stands out at Fife Lake Elementary School
Fife Lake Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Fife Lake, Michigan, enrolling 144 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12:1, Fife Lake Elementary School is leaner than roughly 87% of Michigan schools and 31% under the state's 17.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 63.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 144 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 209 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #55.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (18%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 144 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 71.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Forest Area Community Schools also operates Forest Area Middle School (193 students) and Forest Area High School (156 students) alongside Fife Lake Elementary School.
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 Fife Lake Elementary School compares
Fife Lake Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12:1 | ▼ 31% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.4% | ▲ 17% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 144 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
144
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
students per teacher
- 31% below state mean
Top 13% in Michigan - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
71.5%
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
$13,953
per pupil, district-wide
- above Michigan avg of $13,507
Somewhat 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 45.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.2, Fife Lake Elementary School is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forest Area Community Schools, which includes Fife Lake Elementary School.
$13,953
Per student
+3%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Fife Lake Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Area Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Forest Area High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fife Lake Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 193
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 156
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
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 (~144 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fife Lake Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Fife Lake Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Forest Area Community Schools'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 Fife Lake Elementary School
How many students attend Fife Lake Elementary School?
Fife Lake Elementary School has 144 students enrolled. It is a public 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, which is 31% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 24% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. 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% of enrollment, 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 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Fife Lake Elementary School rank among public schools in Fife Lake?
By Resource Investment Index, Fife Lake Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Fife Lake, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Fife Lake on the city page.
Is Fife Lake Elementary School a good school?
Fife Lake Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% 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 Forest Area Community Schools?
Besides Fife Lake Elementary School, Forest Area Community Schools also operates Forest Area Middle School (193 students) and Forest Area High School (156 students). See the Forest Area Community Schools 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.