Enrollment
683
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 260759001220
Mackinaw Trail Middle School — Cadillac, MI
Federal NCES profile for Mackinaw Trail Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 14/100.
👥 Class size 25
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
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: Cadillac Area Public 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)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.9%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mackinaw Trail Middle 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
Mackinaw Trail Middle School reports 683 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% 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 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 60.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 12% above the Michigan average and 18% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 683 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 46.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cadillac Area Public Schools spends $15,399 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.1% from local sources (property taxes), 57.6% from the state, and 12.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 14/100 (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 Mackinaw Trail Middle 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 | 18.8:1 | ▲ 3% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.9% | ▲ 12% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 683 | top 87% | — | — |
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
60.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 12% 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
18.8:1
students per teacher
— 3% above state mean
Top 70% in Michigan — lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
46.3%
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
$15,399
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 683 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 51 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 9 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 683 Top 87% in Michigan — larger than 13% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 18.8:1 +3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 60.9% +12% vs state
NCES ID 260759001220
Student demographics
White 90.8%
Hispanic or Latino 4.4%
Two or More 2.6%
African American 0.9%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 90.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 683:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 46.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 51
Expulsions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cadillac Area Public Schools, which includes Mackinaw Trail Middle School.
$15,399
Per student
-3%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.1%
State 57.6%
Federal 12.3%
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
- 903
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 480
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 257
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 164
- Students per teacher
- 30.4:1
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 Mackinaw Trail Middle School
How many students attend Mackinaw Trail Middle School?
Mackinaw Trail Middle School has 683 students enrolled. It is a middle school in CADILLAC, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mackinaw Trail Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mackinaw Trail Middle School is 18.8:1, which is 3% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mackinaw Trail Middle School?
60.9% of students at Mackinaw Trail Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mackinaw Trail Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Mackinaw Trail Middle School is White at 90.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in CADILLAC, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mackinaw Trail Middle School?
Mackinaw Trail Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 14/100 (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.