Enrollment
823
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Battle Creek, MI
Harper Creek High School
Federal NCES profile for Harper Creek High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 261773005437
👥 S:T ratio 25
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harper Creek High School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of Michigan schools.
- #1 of 5
- high schools in Battle Creek · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.7:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 37.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Harper Creek High School has class sizes larger than 70% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harper Creek High School ranks #1 of 5 high schools in Battle Creek, MI.
School address
District: Harper Creek Community Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 261773005437 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.9%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harper Creek High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harper Creek High School
Harper Creek High School is a large high school in Battle Creek, Michigan, enrolling 823 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 37.9% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Michigan, bigger than 92% of state schools at 823 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 341 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #77.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 3 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 274 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 183 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 823 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Battle Creek's high schools, it stands alongside West Michigan Virtual Battle Creek Hs (370 students): Harper Creek High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.7:1 vs 61.7:1).
Harper Creek Community Schools also operates Harper Creek Middle School (896 students) and Wattles Park Elementary School (375 students) alongside Harper Creek 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 Harper Creek High School compares
Harper Creek 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 | 18.7:1 | ▲ 7% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.9% | ▼ 30% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 823 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.7:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
823
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
18.7:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 70% in Michigan - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.9%
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
$13,137
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 274 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
72
in-school suspensions + 111 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 83.6%
Two or More 7.3%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
African American 2.9%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 83.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.2, Harper Creek High School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harper Creek Community Schools, which includes Harper Creek High School.
$13,137
Per student
-3%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.5%
State 58.3%
Federal 11.2%
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 Harper Creek High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harper Creek Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wattles Park Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sonoma Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Beadle Lake Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Harper Creek High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 896
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 375
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 351
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 333
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar high schools in Battle Creek
2 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 (~823 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harper Creek High School's federal record.
- Compare Harper Creek High School against another school. Compare schools
- Harper Creek 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 Harper Creek High School
How many students attend Harper Creek High School?
Harper Creek High School has 823 students enrolled. It is a high school in Battle Creek, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harper Creek High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Harper Creek High School is 18.7:1, which is 7% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Harper Creek High School?
37.9% of students at Harper Creek High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harper Creek High School?
The largest demographic group at Harper Creek High School is White at 83.6% of enrollment, in Battle Creek, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harper Creek High School?
Harper Creek High School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Harper Creek High School rank among high schools in Battle Creek?
By Resource Investment Index, Harper Creek High School ranks #1 of 5 high schools in Battle Creek, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Battle Creek on the city page.
Is Harper Creek High School a good school?
Harper Creek High School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% 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 Harper Creek Community Schools?
Besides Harper Creek High School, Harper Creek Community Schools also operates Harper Creek Middle School (896 students), Wattles Park Elementary School (375 students), and Sonoma Elementary (351 students). See the Harper Creek 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.