Enrollment
439
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Kalkaska, MI
Kalkaska High School
Federal NCES profile for Kalkaska 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 262005005685
👥 S:T ratio 27
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kalkaska High School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Kalkaska · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.3:1
- students per teacher
- 54.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Kalkaska High School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Kalkaska High School ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Kalkaska, MI.
School address
District: Kalkaska Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 262005005685 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.3%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kalkaska High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kalkaska High School
Kalkaska High School is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Kalkaska, Michigan, enrolling 439 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 54.3% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 439 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 692 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #212.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 17/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 5 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 220 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 100 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 439 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Kalkaska Public Schools also operates Birch Street Elementary School (517 students) and Kalkaska Middle School (307 students) alongside Kalkaska 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 Kalkaska High School compares
Kalkaska 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 | 18.3:1 | ▲ 5% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.3% | ▼ 0% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 439 | top 35% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.3:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
439
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 0% 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
18.3:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 66% in Michigan - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
48.3%
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
$13,832
per pupil, district-wide
- above Michigan avg of $13,507
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 220 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
66
in-school suspensions + 34 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 90.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.3%
Two or More 2.3%
African American 1.8%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 90.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.1, Kalkaska High School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kalkaska Public Schools, which includes Kalkaska High School.
$13,832
Per student
+2%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.2%
State 41.1%
Federal 13.7%
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 Kalkaska High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birch Street Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kalkaska Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cherry Street Intermediate School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Rapid City Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kalkaska High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 517
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 307
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 176
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 70
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~439 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kalkaska High School's federal record.
- Compare Kalkaska High School against another school. Compare schools
- Kalkaska Public 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 Kalkaska High School
How many students attend Kalkaska High School?
Kalkaska High School has 439 students enrolled. It is a high school in Kalkaska, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kalkaska High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Kalkaska High School is 18.3:1, which is 5% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kalkaska High School?
54.3% of students at Kalkaska High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kalkaska High School?
The largest demographic group at Kalkaska High School is White at 90.9% of enrollment, in Kalkaska, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kalkaska High School?
Kalkaska 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 Kalkaska High School rank among public schools in Kalkaska?
By Resource Investment Index, Kalkaska High School ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Kalkaska, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Kalkaska on the city page.
Is Kalkaska High School a good school?
Kalkaska High School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. 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 Kalkaska Public Schools?
Besides Kalkaska High School, Kalkaska Public Schools also operates Birch Street Elementary School (517 students), Kalkaska Middle School (307 students), and Cherry Street Intermediate School (176 students). See the Kalkaska Public 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.