Enrollment
87
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Allendale, MI
Ottawa Area Center
Federal NCES profile for Ottawa Area Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 268090000252
👥 S:T ratio 88
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ottawa Area Center earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Michigan schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Allendale · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 3:1
- small classes for Michigan
- 37.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Ottawa Area Center has class sizes smaller than 99% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ottawa Area Center ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Allendale, MI.
School address
District: Ottawa Area Isd · Michigan
NCES ID 268090000252 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
3:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-83% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.3%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ottawa Area Center compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ottawa Area Center
Ottawa Area Center is a small combined-grade school in Allendale, Michigan, enrolling 87 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 3:1, Ottawa Area Center is leaner than roughly 99% of Michigan schools and 83% under the state's 17.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 37.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 87 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 62 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #23.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 55/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 62.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Ottawa Area Isd also operates Roerinkknoll Education Center (118 students) and Sheldon Pines School (23 students) alongside Ottawa Area Center.
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 Ottawa Area Center compares
Ottawa Area Center on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 3:1 | ▼ 83% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.3% | ▼ 31% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 87 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
3:1
Leaner classes than 99% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
87
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% 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
3:1
students per teacher
- 83% below state mean
Top 1% in Michigan - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
62.1%
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.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 64.4%
Hispanic or Latino 16.1%
African American 8.0%
Two or More 8.0%
Asian 3.4%
Largest group: White at 64.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.5, Ottawa Area Center is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
How Ottawa Area Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roerinkknoll Education Center | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sheldon Pines School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ottawa Area Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 118
- Students per teacher
- 5.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 23
- Students per teacher
- 3.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~87 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ottawa Area Center's federal record.
- Compare Ottawa Area Center against another school. Compare schools
- Ottawa Area Isd'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 Ottawa Area Center
How many students attend Ottawa Area Center?
Ottawa Area Center has 87 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Allendale, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ottawa Area Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Ottawa Area Center is 3:1, which is 83% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 81% lower 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 Ottawa Area Center?
37.3% of students at Ottawa Area Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ottawa Area Center?
The largest demographic group at Ottawa Area Center is White at 64.4% of enrollment, in Allendale, MI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ottawa Area Center?
Ottawa Area Center has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Ottawa Area Center rank among public schools in Allendale?
By Resource Investment Index, Ottawa Area Center ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Allendale, 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 Allendale on the city page.
Is Ottawa Area Center a good school?
Ottawa Area Center earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% 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 Ottawa Area Isd?
Besides Ottawa Area Center, Ottawa Area Isd also operates Roerinkknoll Education Center (118 students) and Sheldon Pines School (23 students). See the Ottawa Area Isd 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.