Enrollment
683
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Cadillac, MI
Mackinaw Trail Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Mackinaw Trail Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 260759001220
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mackinaw Trail Middle School earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- #5 of 5
- public schools in Cadillac · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.1:1
- students per teacher
- 60.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Mackinaw Trail Middle School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mackinaw Trail Middle School ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Cadillac, MI.
School address
District: Cadillac Area Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 260759001220 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.1:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-2% 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
What stands out at Mackinaw Trail Middle School
Mackinaw Trail Middle School is a higher-need, large middle school in Cadillac, Michigan, enrolling 683 students.
At 17.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Michigan median, within a few percentage points of the 17.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 60.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 683 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 356 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #317, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 17/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 683 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 9 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Cadillac Area Public Schools also operates Cadillac Senior High School (903 students) and Franklin Elementary School (563 students) alongside Mackinaw Trail Middle 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 Mackinaw Trail Middle School compares
Mackinaw Trail Middle 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 | 17.1:1 | ▼ 2% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.9% | ▲ 12% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 683 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.1:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
683
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
17.1:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 54% in Michigan - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
46.3%
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
$11,603
per pupil, district-wide
- below Michigan avg of $13,507
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that 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
- 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 90.8%
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.
Student-body diversity index 17.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.3, Mackinaw Trail Middle School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cadillac Area Public Schools, which includes Mackinaw Trail Middle School.
$11,603
Per student
-14%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Mackinaw Trail Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadillac Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Franklin Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Forest View Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cadillac Innovation High School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mackinaw Trail Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 903
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 480
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 257
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 164
- Students per teacher
- 32.8:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar middle 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 (~683 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mackinaw Trail Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Mackinaw Trail Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Cadillac Area 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 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 17.1:1, which is 2% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 9% higher 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 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% of enrollment, in Cadillac, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mackinaw Trail Middle School?
Mackinaw Trail Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Mackinaw Trail Middle School rank among public schools in Cadillac?
By Resource Investment Index, Mackinaw Trail Middle School ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Cadillac, 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 Cadillac on the city page.
Is Mackinaw Trail Middle School a good school?
Mackinaw Trail Middle School earns 15/100 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 Cadillac Area Public Schools?
Besides Mackinaw Trail Middle School, Cadillac Area Public Schools also operates Cadillac Senior High School (903 students), Franklin Elementary School (563 students), and Lincoln Elementary School (480 students). See the Cadillac Area 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.