Enrollment
489
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Essexville, MI
Garber High School
Federal NCES profile for Garber High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 261353005024
👥 S:T ratio 56
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 6
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garber High School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Michigan schools.
- #3 of 6
- public schools in Essexville · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.1:1
- small classes for Michigan
- 30.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Garber High School has class sizes smaller than 90% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Garber High School ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Essexville, MI.
School address
District: Essexville-Hampton Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 261353005024 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.1:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.2%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garber High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Garber High School
Garber High School is a mid-sized high school in Essexville, Michigan, enrolling 489 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.1:1, Garber High School is leaner than roughly 90% of Michigan schools and 37% under the state's 17.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 30.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 489 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 586 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #132.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 10 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 245 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Essexville's high schools, it stands alongside Bayarenac Community High School (180 students): Garber High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.1:1 vs 18:1).
Essexville-Hampton Public Schools also operates Cramer Junior High School (484 students) and Verellen Elementary School (314 students) alongside Garber High 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 Garber High School compares
Garber High 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 | 11.1:1 | ▼ 37% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.2% | ▼ 44% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 489 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.1:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
489
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
30.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.1:1
students per teacher
- 37% below state mean
Top 10% in Michigan - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
37.8%
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
$11,672
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 245 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 63 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.9 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 86.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.1%
Two or More 4.7%
African American 1.6%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 86.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.2, Garber High School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Essexville-Hampton Public Schools, which includes Garber High School.
$11,672
Per student
-14%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.5%
State 69.3%
Federal 10.1%
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 Garber High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cramer Junior High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Verellen Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wr Bush Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Garber High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 484
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 314
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 236
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
Similar high schools in Essexville
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~489 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garber High School's federal record.
- Compare Garber High School against another school. Compare schools
- Essexville-Hampton Public 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 Garber High School
How many students attend Garber High School?
Garber High School has 489 students enrolled. It is a high school in Essexville, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garber High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Garber High School is 11.1:1, which is 37% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 29% 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 Garber High School?
30.2% of students at Garber High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garber High School?
The largest demographic group at Garber High School is White at 86.7% of enrollment, in Essexville, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garber High School?
Garber High School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Garber High School rank among public schools in Essexville?
By Resource Investment Index, Garber High School ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Essexville, 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 Essexville on the city page.
Is Garber High School a good school?
Garber High School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% 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 Essexville-Hampton Public Schools?
Besides Garber High School, Essexville-Hampton Public Schools also operates Cramer Junior High School (484 students), Verellen Elementary School (314 students), and Wr Bush Elementary School (236 students). See the Essexville-Hampton Public 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.