Enrollment
397
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 262124005846
Lawton Elementary School — Lawton, MI
Federal NCES profile for Lawton Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 22/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 16
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: Lawton Community 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)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.1%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lawton 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
Lawton Elementary School reports 397 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 28.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% below the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 10% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 49.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 10% below the Michigan average and 5% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 794 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lawton Community School District spends $13,278 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.6% from local sources (property taxes), 57.7% from the state, and 14.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Lawton 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 | 14.3:1 | ▼ 21% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.1% | ▼ 10% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 397 | top 58% | — | — |
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
49.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 10% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
— 21% below state mean
Top 22% in Michigan — lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
33.5%
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
$13,278
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 794 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 397 Top 58% in Michigan — larger than 42% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 28.0
Students per teacher 14.3:1 -21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 49.1% -10% vs state
NCES ID 262124005846
Student demographics
White 81.9%
Hispanic or Latino 12.1%
Two or More 4.3%
African American 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 81.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 794:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.5%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lawton Community School District, which includes Lawton Elementary School.
$13,278
Per student
-16%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.6%
State 57.7%
Federal 14.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 325
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 279
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 26
- Students per teacher
- —
Similar other schools in Lawton
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Lawton Elementary School
How many students attend Lawton Elementary School?
Lawton Elementary School has 397 students enrolled. It is a other school in LAWTON, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lawton Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lawton Elementary School is 14.3:1, which is 21% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lawton Elementary School?
49.1% of students at Lawton Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lawton Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Lawton Elementary School is White at 81.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in LAWTON, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lawton Elementary School?
Lawton Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.