Enrollment
437
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 263531008620
Grayson Elementary — Waterford, MI
Federal NCES profile for Grayson Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 22/100.
👥 Class size 12
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 25
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: Waterford School District · 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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.5%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Grayson Elementary 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
Grayson Elementary reports 437 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% above the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 38% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 51.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 5% below the Michigan average and 1% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Waterford School District spends $19,093 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.7% from local sources (property taxes), 52.2% from the state, and 9.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Grayson Elementary 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 | 22:1 | ▲ 21% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.5% | ▼ 5% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 437 | top 65% | — | — |
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
51.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 5% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
22:1
students per teacher
— 21% above state mean
Top 90% in Michigan — lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
30.2%
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
$19,093
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 437 Top 65% in Michigan — larger than 35% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 22:1 +21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 51.5% -5% vs state
NCES ID 263531008620
Student demographics
White 60.2%
Hispanic or Latino 18.3%
African American 12.1%
Two or More 6.2%
Asian 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 60.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waterford School District, which includes Grayson Elementary.
$19,093
Per student
+21%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.7%
State 52.2%
Federal 9.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 963
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Enrollment
- 909
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 733
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Enrollment
- 731
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 398
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
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 Grayson Elementary
How many students attend Grayson Elementary?
Grayson Elementary has 437 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Waterford, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Grayson Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Grayson Elementary is 22:1, which is 21% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Grayson Elementary?
51.5% of students at Grayson Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Grayson Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Grayson Elementary is White at 60.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Waterford, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Grayson Elementary?
Grayson Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.