Enrollment
471
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 262781006359
Pennfield Middle School — Battle Creek, MI
Federal NCES profile for Pennfield Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 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: Pennfield Schools · 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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.2:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.3%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pennfield Middle School 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
Pennfield Middle School reports 471 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% above the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 33% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 49.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% below the Michigan average and 5% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 236 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 41.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pennfield Schools spends $13,419 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.9% from local sources (property taxes), 71.4% from the state, and 8.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Pennfield Middle School 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 | 21.2:1 | ▲ 16% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.3% | ▼ 9% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 471 | top 70% | — | — |
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
49.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 9% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.2:1
students per teacher
— 16% above state mean
Top 87% in Michigan — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
41.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,419
per pupil, district-wide
— below Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 236 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 92 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 471 Top 70% in Michigan — larger than 30% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 21.2:1 +16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 49.3% -9% vs state
NCES ID 262781006359
Student demographics
White 78.6%
Two or More 9.3%
Hispanic or Latino 5.9%
African American 5.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 78.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 236:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 41.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 92
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pennfield Schools, which includes Pennfield Middle School.
$13,419
Per student
-15%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 748
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 273
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 197
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 188
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
Similar middle schools in Battle Creek
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 Pennfield Middle School
How many students attend Pennfield Middle School?
Pennfield Middle School has 471 students enrolled. It is a middle school in BATTLE CREEK, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pennfield Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pennfield Middle School is 21.2:1, which is 16% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 33% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pennfield Middle School?
49.3% of students at Pennfield Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pennfield Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Pennfield Middle School is White at 78.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in BATTLE CREEK, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pennfield Middle School?
Pennfield Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.