Enrollment
50
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Cedar Springs, MI
New Beginnings Alternative High School
Federal NCES profile for New Beginnings Alternative High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 260852000585
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 90
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
New Beginnings Alternative High School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data.
- #1 of 8
- public schools in Cedar Springs · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 54.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 50
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, New Beginnings Alternative High School ranks #1 of 8 public schools in Cedar Springs, MI.
School address
District: Cedar Springs Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 260852000585 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
54.1%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-0% vs state
What stands out at New Beginnings Alternative High School
New Beginnings Alternative High School is a higher-need, small high school in Cedar Springs, Michigan, enrolling 50 students.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 54.1% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 92% of Michigan schools, with 50 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 93% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 83 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #21.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 50 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 29 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 50 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Cedar Springs Public Schools also operates Cedar Springs High School (952 students) and Red Hawk Intermediate (657 students) alongside New Beginnings Alternative High 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 New Beginnings Alternative High School compares
New Beginnings Alternative High School on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.1% | ▼ 0% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 50 | top 92% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
50
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 0% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Engagement
30.0%
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
$12,635
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 50 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 28.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 58.0 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 82.0%
Two or More 10.0%
Hispanic or Latino 6.0%
Asian 2.0%
Largest group: White at 82.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.4, New Beginnings Alternative High School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cedar Springs Public Schools, which includes New Beginnings Alternative High School.
$12,635
Per student
-6%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.5%
State 62.0%
Federal 9.5%
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 New Beginnings Alternative High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Springs High School | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Red Hawk Intermediate | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Cedar Springs Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Cedar View Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Beach Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to New Beginnings Alternative High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 952
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 657
- Students per teacher
- 54.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 489
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 466
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar high 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.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on New Beginnings Alternative High School's federal record.
- Compare New Beginnings Alternative High School against another school. Compare schools
- Cedar Springs 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 New Beginnings Alternative High School
How many students attend New Beginnings Alternative High School?
New Beginnings Alternative High School has 50 students enrolled. It is a high school in Cedar Springs, MI.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at New Beginnings Alternative High School?
54.1% of students at New Beginnings Alternative High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of New Beginnings Alternative High School?
The largest demographic group at New Beginnings Alternative High School is White at 82.0% of enrollment, in Cedar Springs, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for New Beginnings Alternative High School?
New Beginnings Alternative High School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical 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 New Beginnings Alternative High School rank among public schools in Cedar Springs?
By Resource Investment Index, New Beginnings Alternative High School ranks #1 of 8 public schools in Cedar Springs, 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 Cedar Springs on the city page.
Is New Beginnings Alternative High School a good school?
New Beginnings Alternative High School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. 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 Cedar Springs Public Schools?
Besides New Beginnings Alternative High School, Cedar Springs Public Schools also operates Cedar Springs High School (952 students), Red Hawk Intermediate (657 students), and Cedar Springs Middle School (489 students). See the Cedar Springs 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.