Enrollment
370
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 263039006662
Handley School — Saginaw, MI
Federal NCES profile for Handley School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 53
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: Saginaw School District of the City of · 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)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.9:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.6%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Handley School 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
Handley School reports 370 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 16.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 19% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 41.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 23% below the Michigan average and 20% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Saginaw School District of the City of spends $19,488 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.2% from local sources (property taxes), 42.7% from the state, and 34.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), 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 Handley School 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 | 18.9:1 | ▲ 4% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.6% | ▼ 23% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 370 | top 53% | — | — |
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
41.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 23% 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
18.9:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 71% in Michigan — lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$19,488
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 + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 370 Top 53% in Michigan — larger than 47% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 16.0
Students per teacher 18.9:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 41.6% -23% vs state
NCES ID 263039006662
Student demographics
White 38.9%
African American 30.0%
Asian 13.0%
Two or More 8.9%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 38.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Saginaw School District of the City of, which includes Handley School.
$19,488
Per student
+23%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
0%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 23.2%
State 42.7%
Federal 34.1%
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
- 981
- Students per teacher
- 24.2:1
- Enrollment
- 585
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 405
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 374
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 308
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
Similar other schools in Saginaw
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
North Saginaw Charter Academy
Standard public school
679 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Carrollton Elementary School
Standard public school
662 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Sherwood Elementary School
Standard public school
531 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Francis Reh Psa
Standard public school
505 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Shields Elementary School
Standard public school
447 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Arrowwood Elementary School
Standard public school
445 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
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 Handley School
How many students attend Handley School?
Handley School has 370 students enrolled. It is a other school in SAGINAW, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Handley School?
The student-teacher ratio at Handley School is 18.9:1, which is 4% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Handley School?
41.6% of students at Handley School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Handley School?
The largest demographic group at Handley School is White at 38.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in SAGINAW, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Handley School?
Handley School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) 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.