Enrollment
128
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Saint Joseph, MI
Lighthouse Education Center
Federal NCES profile for Lighthouse Education Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 268016000465
👥 S:T ratio 83
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lighthouse Education Center earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of Michigan schools.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Saint Joseph · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 4.3:1
- small classes for Michigan
- 75.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Lighthouse Education Center has class sizes smaller than 98% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lighthouse Education Center ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Saint Joseph, MI.
School address
District: Berrien Resa · Michigan
NCES ID 268016000465 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
4.3:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-75% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.7%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lighthouse Education Center compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lighthouse Education Center
Lighthouse Education Center is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Saint Joseph, Michigan, enrolling 128 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 4.3:1, Lighthouse Education Center is leaner than roughly 98% of Michigan schools and 75% under the state's 17.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 75.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 128 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 173 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #40.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and African American (25%) (diversity index 55/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 75.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Saint Joseph's public schools, it stands alongside Brown School (410 students): Lighthouse Education Center is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (4.3:1 vs 21.6:1).
Berrien Resa also operates Blossomland Learning Center (124 students) and Berrien County Juvenile Center (10 students) alongside Lighthouse Education Center.
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 Lighthouse Education Center compares
Lighthouse Education Center on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 4.3:1 | ▼ 75% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.7% | ▲ 39% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 128 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
4.3:1
Leaner classes than 99% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
128
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
75.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 39% 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
4.3:1
students per teacher
- 75% below state mean
Top 2% in Michigan - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
75.8%
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.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 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 61.7%
African American 25.0%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
Asian 2.3%
Two or More 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 61.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.9, Lighthouse Education Center is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
How Lighthouse Education Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blossomland Learning Center | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Berrien County Juvenile Center | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lighthouse Education Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 124
- Students per teacher
- 5.2:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 10
- Students per teacher
- 3.3:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
Similar other schools in Saint Joseph
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~128 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~4.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lighthouse Education Center's federal record.
- Compare Lighthouse Education Center against another school. Compare schools
- Berrien Resa'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 Lighthouse Education Center
How many students attend Lighthouse Education Center?
Lighthouse Education Center has 128 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Saint Joseph, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lighthouse Education Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Lighthouse Education Center is 4.3:1, which is 75% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 73% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lighthouse Education Center?
75.7% of students at Lighthouse Education Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lighthouse Education Center?
The largest demographic group at Lighthouse Education Center is White at 61.7% of enrollment, in Saint Joseph, MI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lighthouse Education Center?
Lighthouse Education Center has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Lighthouse Education Center rank among public schools in Saint Joseph?
By Resource Investment Index, Lighthouse Education Center ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Saint Joseph, 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 Saint Joseph on the city page.
Is Lighthouse Education Center a good school?
Lighthouse Education Center earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% 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 Berrien Resa?
Besides Lighthouse Education Center, Berrien Resa also operates Blossomland Learning Center (124 students) and Berrien County Juvenile Center (10 students). See the Berrien Resa 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.