Enrollment
748
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Battle Creek, MI
Pennfield Senior High School
Federal NCES profile for Pennfield Senior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 16/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 262781006362
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 25
📋 Attendance 13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pennfield Senior High School earns 16/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Michigan schools.
- #4 of 5
- high schools in Battle Creek · Resource Index
- 16
- Resource Index · Lower
- 26.7:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 47.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Pennfield Senior High School has class sizes larger than 94% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pennfield Senior High School ranks #4 of 5 high schools in Battle Creek, MI.
School address
District: Pennfield Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 262781006362 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.7:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+53% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.3%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pennfield Senior High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pennfield Senior High School
Pennfield Senior High School is a large high school in Battle Creek, Michigan, enrolling 748 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26.7:1 is larger than about 94% of Michigan schools and 53% above the 17.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 47.3% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Michigan, bigger than 90% of state schools at 748 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Among 375 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #306, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 374 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Battle Creek's high schools, it stands alongside West Michigan Virtual Battle Creek Hs (370 students): Pennfield Senior High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (26.7:1 vs 61.7:1).
Pennfield Schools also operates Pennfield Middle School (471 students) and Pennfield Dunlap Elementary (273 students) alongside Pennfield Senior High 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 Senior High School compares
Pennfield Senior High 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 | 26.7:1 | ▲ 53% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.3% | ▼ 13% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 748 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26.7:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
748
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
47.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% 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
26.7:1
students per teacher
- 53% above state mean
Top 94% in Michigan - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
34.8%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 374 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 91 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.0 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 81.0%
Two or More 9.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.3%
African American 3.9%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 81.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.1, Pennfield Senior High School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pennfield Schools, which includes Pennfield Senior High 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 Senior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennfield Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pennfield Dunlap Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pennfield Purdy School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| North Pennfield Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pennfield Senior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- 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
- 197
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 188
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
Similar high schools in Battle Creek
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~748 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~26.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pennfield Senior High School's federal record.
- Compare Pennfield Senior High 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 Senior High School
How many students attend Pennfield Senior High School?
Pennfield Senior High School has 748 students enrolled. It is a high school in Battle Creek, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pennfield Senior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pennfield Senior High School is 26.7:1, which is 53% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 70% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pennfield Senior High School?
47.3% of students at Pennfield Senior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pennfield Senior High School?
The largest demographic group at Pennfield Senior High School is White at 81.0% of enrollment, in Battle Creek, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pennfield Senior High School?
Pennfield Senior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 16/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Pennfield Senior High School rank among high schools in Battle Creek?
By Resource Investment Index, Pennfield Senior High School ranks #4 of 5 high 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 high schools in Battle Creek on the city page.
Is Pennfield Senior High School a good school?
Pennfield Senior High School earns 16/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% 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 Senior High School, Pennfield Schools also operates Pennfield Middle School (471 students), Pennfield Dunlap Elementary (273 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.