Enrollment
265
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · South Rockwood, MI
Fred W Ritter Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Fred W Ritter Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 260198003940
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fred W Ritter Elementary School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.6:1
- students per teacher
- 66.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 265
- students enrolled
Fred W Ritter Elementary School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Airport Community Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 260198003940 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.8%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fred W Ritter Elementary School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fred W Ritter Elementary School
Fred W Ritter Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in South Rockwood, Michigan, enrolling 265 students.
At 16.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Michigan median, within a few percentage points of the 17.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 66.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 265 students, its enrollment sits close to the Michigan median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Among 458 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #371, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Airport Community Schools also operates Airport Senior High School (760 students) and Wagar 78 Middle School (641 students) alongside Fred W Ritter 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 Fred W Ritter Elementary School compares
Fred W Ritter 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 | 16.6:1 | ▼ 5% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.8% | ▲ 23% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 265 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.6:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
265
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
66.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% 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
16.6:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 49% in Michigan - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
46.0%
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
$12,155
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
2
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.7 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 86.0%
Hispanic or Latino 7.2%
Two or More 5.3%
African American 1.5%
Largest group: White at 86.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.2, Fred W Ritter Elementary School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Airport Community Schools, which includes Fred W Ritter Elementary School.
$12,155
Per student
-10%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.2%
State 62.9%
Federal 11.9%
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 Fred W Ritter Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airport Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wagar 78 Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Joseph C Sterling Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Loren Eyler Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Henry Niedermeier Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fred W Ritter Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 760
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 641
- Students per teacher
- 29.1:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 370
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 292
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 242
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
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 (~265 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fred W Ritter Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Fred W Ritter Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Airport 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 Fred W Ritter Elementary School
How many students attend Fred W Ritter Elementary School?
Fred W Ritter Elementary School has 265 students enrolled. It is a public school in South Rockwood, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fred W Ritter Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Fred W Ritter Elementary School is 16.6:1, which is 5% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 6% higher 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 Fred W Ritter Elementary School?
66.8% of students at Fred W Ritter Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fred W Ritter Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Fred W Ritter Elementary School is White at 86.0% of enrollment, in South Rockwood, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fred W Ritter Elementary School?
Fred W Ritter Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (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 Fred W Ritter Elementary School a good school?
Fred W Ritter Elementary School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. 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 Airport Community Schools?
Besides Fred W Ritter Elementary School, Airport Community Schools also operates Airport Senior High School (760 students), Wagar 78 Middle School (641 students), and Joseph C Sterling Elementary School (370 students). See the Airport 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.