Enrollment
197
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Battle Creek, MI
Pennfield Purdy School
Federal NCES profile for Pennfield Purdy School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 262781006361
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pennfield Purdy School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- #5 of 13
- elementary schools in Battle Creek · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.2:1
- students per teacher
- 56.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Pennfield Purdy School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pennfield Purdy School ranks #5 of 13 elementary schools in Battle Creek, MI.
School address
District: Pennfield Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 262781006361 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.2%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pennfield Purdy School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pennfield Purdy School
Pennfield Purdy School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Battle Creek, Michigan, enrolling 197 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 56.2% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 197 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 331 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #194.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Two or More (10%) (diversity index 42/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 394 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.0% 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 Purdy 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 Pennfield Purdy School compares
Pennfield Purdy School on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.2:1 | ▼ 13% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.2% | ▲ 3% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 197 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
197
Bigger than 19% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% 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
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 34% in Michigan - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
31.0%
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
$12,282
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.6 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 75.1%
Two or More 9.6%
African American 8.1%
Hispanic or Latino 6.1%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 75.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.6, Pennfield Purdy School 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 Purdy School.
$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 Purdy School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennfield Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pennfield Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pennfield Dunlap Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| North Pennfield Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pennfield Purdy School'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
- 273
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- 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 (~197 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pennfield Purdy School's federal record.
- Compare Pennfield Purdy School 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 Purdy School
How many students attend Pennfield Purdy School?
Pennfield Purdy School has 197 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Battle Creek, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pennfield Purdy School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pennfield Purdy School is 15.2:1, which is 13% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 3% 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 Purdy School?
56.2% of students at Pennfield Purdy School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pennfield Purdy School?
The largest demographic group at Pennfield Purdy School is White at 75.1% of enrollment, in Battle Creek, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pennfield Purdy School?
Pennfield Purdy School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Purdy School rank among elementary schools in Battle Creek?
By Resource Investment Index, Pennfield Purdy School ranks #5 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 Purdy School a good school?
Pennfield Purdy School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. 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 Purdy School, Pennfield Schools also operates Pennfield Senior High School (748 students), Pennfield Middle School (471 students), and Pennfield Dunlap Elementary (273 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.