Enrollment
481
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 262889006482
Houghton Central High School — Houghton, MI
Federal NCES profile for Houghton Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 26
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 55
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: Houghton-Portage Township 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.3%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Houghton Central High 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
Houghton Central High School reports 481 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 16% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 19.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 64% below the Michigan average and 63% below the national baseline. The school offers 6 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 481 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Houghton-Portage Township School District spends $12,540 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.6% from local sources (property taxes), 64.7% from the state, and 9.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Houghton Central High 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 | 18.4:1 | ▲ 1% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.3% | ▼ 64% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 481 | top 72% | — | — |
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
19.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 64% 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
18.4:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 66% in Michigan — lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.9%
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
$12,540
per pupil, district-wide
— below Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 481 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 481 Top 72% in Michigan — larger than 28% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 18.4:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 19.3% -64% vs state
NCES ID 262889006482
Student demographics
White 91.1%
Asian 4.6%
Two or More 2.5%
Hispanic or Latino 1.2%
African American 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 91.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 481:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.9%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Houghton-Portage Township School District, which includes Houghton Central High School.
$12,540
Per student
-21%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.6%
State 64.7%
Federal 9.8%
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
- 618
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 359
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
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 Houghton Central High School
How many students attend Houghton Central High School?
Houghton Central High School has 481 students enrolled. It is a high school in HOUGHTON, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Houghton Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Houghton Central High School is 18.4:1, which is 1% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Houghton Central High School?
19.3% of students at Houghton Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Houghton Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Houghton Central High School is White at 91.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in HOUGHTON, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Houghton Central High School?
Houghton Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.