Enrollment
460
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Grosse Pointe Park, MI
George Defer Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for George Defer Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 262574006219
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
George Defer Elementary School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17:1
- students per teacher
- 14.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 460
- students enrolled
George Defer Elementary School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Grosse Pointe Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 262574006219 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.5%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-73% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How George Defer Elementary School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at George Defer Elementary School
George Defer Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, enrolling 460 students.
At 17:1, 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.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 14.5% free-meal eligibility runs 73% below the Michigan average.
Enrollment of 460 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 363 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #14, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Grosse Pointe Public Schools spends $16,927 per pupil, 25% above the Michigan average, a better-resourced district than most.
Grosse Pointe Public Schools also operates Grosse Pointe South High School (1,123 students) and Grosse Pointe North High School (924 students) alongside George Defer 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 George Defer Elementary School compares
George Defer 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 | 17:1 | ▼ 3% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.5% | ▼ 73% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 460 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
460
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 73% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 53% in Michigan - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.3%
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
$16,927
per pupil, district-wide
- above Michigan avg of $13,507
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 80.9%
Two or More 6.3%
African American 6.1%
Hispanic or Latino 3.9%
Asian 2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 80.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.6, George Defer Elementary School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Grosse Pointe Public Schools, which includes George Defer Elementary School.
$16,927
Per student
+25%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.7%
State 54.1%
Federal 5.2%
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 George Defer Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grosse Pointe South High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Grosse Pointe North High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Parcells Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Brownell Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pierce Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to George Defer Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,123
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 924
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 671
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 605
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 570
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar elementary 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 (~460 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on George Defer Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare George Defer Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Grosse Pointe 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 George Defer Elementary School
How many students attend George Defer Elementary School?
George Defer Elementary School has 460 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Grosse Pointe Park, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at George Defer Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at George Defer Elementary School is 17:1, which is 3% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 8% 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 George Defer Elementary School?
14.5% of students at George Defer Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of George Defer Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at George Defer Elementary School is White at 80.9% of enrollment, in Grosse Pointe Park, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for George Defer Elementary School?
George Defer Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher 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 George Defer Elementary School a good school?
George Defer Elementary School earns 50/100 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 Grosse Pointe Public Schools?
Besides George Defer Elementary School, Grosse Pointe Public Schools also operates Grosse Pointe South High School (1,123 students), Grosse Pointe North High School (924 students), and Parcells Middle School (671 students). See the Grosse Pointe 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.