Enrollment
87
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 268090000252
Ottawa Area Center — Allendale, MI
Federal NCES profile for Ottawa Area Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 86
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Ottawa Area Isd · Michigan
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
3.5:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-81% 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
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Ottawa Area Center reports 87 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 3.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 81% below the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 78% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 37.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 31% below the Michigan average and 28% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 62.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Ottawa Area Center compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Michigan state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 3.5:1 | ▼ 81% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.3% | ▼ 31% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 87 | top 12% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
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
3.5:1
students per teacher
— 81% below state mean
Top 1% in Michigan — lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
62.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals 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
Enrollment 87 Top 12% in Michigan — larger than 88% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 3.5:1 -81% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 37.3% -31% vs state
NCES ID 268090000252
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 62.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 118
- Students per teacher
- 5.3:1
- Enrollment
- 23
- Students per teacher
- 2.9:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Ottawa Area Center
How many students attend Ottawa Area Center?
Ottawa Area Center has 87 students enrolled. It is a other school in Allendale, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ottawa Area Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Ottawa Area Center is 3.5:1, which is 81% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 78% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Allendale, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ottawa Area Center?
Ottawa Area Center has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.