Enrollment
273
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Battle Creek, MI
Pennfield Dunlap Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Pennfield Dunlap Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 262781006358
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pennfield Dunlap Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Michigan schools.
- #3 of 13
- elementary schools in Battle Creek · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.5:1
- small classes for Michigan
- 57.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Pennfield Dunlap Elementary has class sizes smaller than 91% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pennfield Dunlap Elementary ranks #3 of 13 elementary schools in Battle Creek, MI.
School address
District: Pennfield Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 262781006358 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.5:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.4%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pennfield Dunlap Elementary compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pennfield Dunlap Elementary
Pennfield Dunlap Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Battle Creek, Michigan, enrolling 273 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.5:1, Pennfield Dunlap Elementary is leaner than roughly 91% of Michigan schools and 40% under the state's 17.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.4% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 273 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 533 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #112.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Two or More (11%) (diversity index 40/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 273 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 60.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Pennfield Schools also operates Pennfield Senior High School (748 students) and Pennfield Middle School (471 students) alongside Pennfield Dunlap 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 Pennfield Dunlap Elementary compares
Pennfield Dunlap 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 | 10.5:1 | ▼ 40% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.4% | ▲ 6% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 273 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.5:1
Leaner classes than 86% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
273
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% 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
10.5:1
students per teacher
- 40% below state mean
Top 9% in Michigan - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
60.1%
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.
Funding equity
$12,282
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 273 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 39 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.8 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 76.2%
Two or More 11.4%
Hispanic or Latino 5.9%
African American 4.8%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 76.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.0, Pennfield Dunlap Elementary is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pennfield Schools, which includes Pennfield Dunlap Elementary.
$12,282
Per student
-9%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.9%
State 71.4%
Federal 8.7%
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 Pennfield Dunlap Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennfield Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pennfield Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pennfield Purdy School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Pennfield Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pennfield Dunlap Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 748
- Students per teacher
- 26.7:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 471
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 197
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 188
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
Similar elementary 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 (~273 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pennfield Dunlap Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Pennfield Dunlap Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Pennfield 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 Pennfield Dunlap Elementary
How many students attend Pennfield Dunlap Elementary?
Pennfield Dunlap Elementary has 273 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Battle Creek, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pennfield Dunlap Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Pennfield Dunlap Elementary is 10.5:1, which is 40% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 33% 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 Pennfield Dunlap Elementary?
57.4% of students at Pennfield Dunlap Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pennfield Dunlap Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Pennfield Dunlap Elementary is White at 76.2% of enrollment, in Battle Creek, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pennfield Dunlap Elementary?
Pennfield Dunlap Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Pennfield Dunlap Elementary rank among elementary schools in Battle Creek?
By Resource Investment Index, Pennfield Dunlap Elementary ranks #3 of 13 elementary schools in Battle Creek, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Battle Creek on the city page.
Is Pennfield Dunlap Elementary a good school?
Pennfield Dunlap Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% 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 Pennfield Schools?
Besides Pennfield Dunlap Elementary, Pennfield Schools also operates Pennfield Senior High School (748 students), Pennfield Middle School (471 students), and Pennfield Purdy School (197 students). See the Pennfield 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.