Enrollment
256
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mecosta, MI
Mecosta Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Mecosta Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 260956004447
👥 S:T ratio 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mecosta Elementary School earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Michigan schools.
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.3:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 60.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 256
- students enrolled
Mecosta Elementary School has class sizes larger than 86% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Chippewa Hills School District · Michigan
NCES ID 260956004447 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.3:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.1%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mecosta Elementary School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mecosta Elementary School
Mecosta Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Mecosta, Michigan, enrolling 256 students.
Class loads run heavy: 21.3:1 is larger than about 86% of Michigan schools and 22% above the 17.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 60.1% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 256 puts it in the smaller 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 485 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #466, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 18/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 51.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Chippewa Hills School District also operates Chippewa Hills Intermediate School (503 students) and Chippewa Hills High School (463 students) alongside Mecosta 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 Mecosta Elementary School compares
Mecosta 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 | 21.3:1 | ▲ 22% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.1% | ▲ 11% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 256 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.3:1
Leaner classes than 12% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
256
Bigger than 26% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% 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
21.3:1
students per teacher
- 22% above state mean
Top 86% in Michigan - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
51.2%
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
$12,887
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 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 90.2%
Two or More 4.7%
Hispanic or Latino 4.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 90.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.2, Mecosta Elementary School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chippewa Hills School District, which includes Mecosta Elementary School.
$12,887
Per student
-5%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.4%
State 46.7%
Federal 14.9%
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 Mecosta Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewa Hills Intermediate School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Chippewa Hills High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Weidman Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Barryton Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mosaic School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mecosta Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 503
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 463
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 258
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 204
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 89
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
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 (~256 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mecosta Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Mecosta Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Chippewa Hills School District'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 Mecosta Elementary School
How many students attend Mecosta Elementary School?
Mecosta Elementary School has 256 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mecosta, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mecosta Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mecosta Elementary School is 21.3:1, which is 22% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 36% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mecosta Elementary School?
60.1% of students at Mecosta Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mecosta Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Mecosta Elementary School is White at 90.2% of enrollment, in Mecosta, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mecosta Elementary School?
Mecosta Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (lower 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 Mecosta Elementary School a good school?
Mecosta Elementary School earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% 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 Chippewa Hills School District?
Besides Mecosta Elementary School, Chippewa Hills School District also operates Chippewa Hills Intermediate School (503 students), Chippewa Hills High School (463 students), and Weidman Elementary School (258 students). See the Chippewa Hills School District 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.