Enrollment
378
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 261014004505
Jefferson Elementary School — Coldwater, MI
Federal NCES profile for Jefferson Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 21/100.
👥 Class size 13
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 21
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: Coldwater Community Schools · 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)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.8:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.2%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jefferson Elementary 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
Jefferson Elementary School reports 378 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 20% 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 37% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 63.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% above the Michigan average and 22% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Coldwater Community Schools spends $13,740 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.6% from local sources (property taxes), 51.8% from the state, and 15.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (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 Jefferson Elementary 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 | 21.8:1 | ▲ 20% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.2% | ▲ 16% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 378 | top 54% | — | — |
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
63.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.8:1
students per teacher
— 20% above state mean
Top 89% in Michigan — lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
31.7%
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
$13,740
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 378 Top 54% in Michigan — larger than 46% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 21.8:1 +20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 63.2% +16% vs state
NCES ID 261014004505
Student demographics
White 80.4%
Hispanic or Latino 13.2%
African American 2.6%
Two or More 2.1%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 80.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.7%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Coldwater Community Schools, which includes Jefferson Elementary School.
$13,740
Per student
-13%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.6%
State 51.8%
Federal 15.6%
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
- 25.5:1
- Enrollment
- 616
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 463
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 375
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
Similar elementary schools in Coldwater
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Jefferson Elementary School
How many students attend Jefferson Elementary School?
Jefferson Elementary School has 378 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in COLDWATER, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jefferson Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Jefferson Elementary School is 21.8:1, which is 20% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 37% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Jefferson Elementary School?
63.2% of students at Jefferson Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jefferson Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Jefferson Elementary School is White at 80.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in COLDWATER, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jefferson Elementary School?
Jefferson Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (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.