Enrollment
337
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Walled Lake, MI
Mary Helen Guest Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Mary Helen Guest Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 263516007074
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mary Helen Guest Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Michigan schools.
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16:1
- students per teacher
- 35.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 337
- students enrolled
Mary Helen Guest Elementary School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Walled Lake Consolidated Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 263516007074 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.0%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mary Helen Guest Elementary School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mary Helen Guest Elementary School
Mary Helen Guest Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Walled Lake, Michigan, enrolling 337 students.
At 16:1, 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 below the state's typical profile, with 35.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 337 students, its enrollment sits close to the Michigan median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 548 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #63.
Its student body is led by White (56%) and Asian (17%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 63/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools also operates Walled Lake Northern High School (1,383 students) and Walled Lake Central High School (1,182 students) alongside Mary Helen Guest Elementary 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 Mary Helen Guest Elementary School compares
Mary Helen Guest Elementary 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 | 16:1 | ▼ 9% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.0% | ▼ 36% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 337 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
337
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 42% in Michigan - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
19.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,084
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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 56.4%
Asian 16.9%
Hispanic or Latino 13.1%
African American 9.2%
Two or More 4.5%
Largest group: White at 56.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.6, Mary Helen Guest Elementary School is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Walled Lake Consolidated Schools, which includes Mary Helen Guest Elementary School.
$14,084
Per student
+4%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.5%
State 50.6%
Federal 10.0%
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 Mary Helen Guest Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walled Lake Northern High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Walled Lake Central High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Walled Lake Western High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clifford H Smart Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Walnut Creek Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mary Helen Guest Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,383
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 1,182
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,033
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 888
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 641
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar elementary 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 (~337 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mary Helen Guest Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Mary Helen Guest Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Walled Lake Consolidated 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 Mary Helen Guest Elementary School
How many students attend Mary Helen Guest Elementary School?
Mary Helen Guest Elementary School has 337 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Walled Lake, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mary Helen Guest Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mary Helen Guest Elementary School is 16:1, which is 9% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 2% 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 Mary Helen Guest Elementary School?
35.0% of students at Mary Helen Guest Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mary Helen Guest Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Mary Helen Guest Elementary School is White at 56.4% of enrollment, in Walled Lake, MI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mary Helen Guest Elementary School?
Mary Helen Guest Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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).
Is Mary Helen Guest Elementary School a good school?
Mary Helen Guest Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Walled Lake Consolidated Schools?
Besides Mary Helen Guest Elementary School, Walled Lake Consolidated Schools also operates Walled Lake Northern High School (1,383 students), Walled Lake Central High School (1,182 students), and Walled Lake Western High School (1,033 students). See the Walled Lake Consolidated 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.