Enrollment
433
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lowell, MI
Murray Lake Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Murray Lake Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 262205001690
👥 S:T ratio 25
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Murray Lake Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Michigan schools.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Lowell · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.8:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 16.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Murray Lake Elementary has class sizes larger than 71% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Murray Lake Elementary ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Lowell, MI.
School address
District: Lowell Area Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 262205001690 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.0%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Murray Lake Elementary compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Murray Lake Elementary
Murray Lake Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Lowell, Michigan, enrolling 433 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 16.0% free-meal eligibility runs 71% below the Michigan average.
With 433 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 379 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #150.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 17/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Lowell Area Schools also operates Lowell Senior High School (1,058 students) and Lowell Middle School (790 students) alongside Murray Lake Elementary.
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 Murray Lake Elementary compares
Murray Lake Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.8:1 | ▲ 7% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.0% | ▼ 71% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 433 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.8:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
433
Bigger than 52% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
16.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 71% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.8:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 71% in Michigan - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,374
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 + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 90.8%
Two or More 3.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.2%
African American 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 90.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.3, Murray Lake Elementary is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lowell Area Schools, which includes Murray Lake Elementary.
$12,374
Per student
-8%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.0%
State 59.6%
Federal 7.4%
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 Murray Lake Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lowell Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cherry Creek Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Alto Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bushnell Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Murray Lake Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,058
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 790
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 485
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 417
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 253
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
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 (~433 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Murray Lake Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Murray Lake Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Lowell Area 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 Murray Lake Elementary
How many students attend Murray Lake Elementary?
Murray Lake Elementary has 433 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lowell, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Murray Lake Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Murray Lake Elementary is 18.8:1, which is 7% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Murray Lake Elementary?
16.0% of students at Murray Lake Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Murray Lake Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Murray Lake Elementary is White at 90.8% of enrollment, in Lowell, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Murray Lake Elementary?
Murray Lake Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Murray Lake Elementary rank among public schools in Lowell?
By Resource Investment Index, Murray Lake Elementary ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Lowell, 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 Lowell on the city page.
Is Murray Lake Elementary a good school?
Murray Lake Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% 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 Lowell Area Schools?
Besides Murray Lake Elementary, Lowell Area Schools also operates Lowell Senior High School (1,058 students), Lowell Middle School (790 students), and Cherry Creek Elementary School (485 students). See the Lowell Area 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.