Enrollment
416
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 262619006272
Pepper Elementary School — Oak Park, MI
Federal NCES profile for Pepper Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 20/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 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: Oak Park School District of the City of · 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
17.5:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.4%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pepper Elementary 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
Pepper Elementary School reports 416 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 10% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 80.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% above the Michigan average and 55% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 69.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Oak Park School District of the City of spends $18,456 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 21.4% from local sources (property taxes), 63.5% from the state, and 15.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (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 Pepper Elementary 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 | 17.5:1 | ▼ 4% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.4% | ▲ 48% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 416 | top 61% | — | — |
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
80.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% 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
17.5:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 56% in Michigan — lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
69.2%
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
$18,456
per pupil, district-wide
— above Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 416 Top 61% in Michigan — larger than 39% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 17.5:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 80.4% +48% vs state
NCES ID 262619006272
Student demographics
African American 93.3%
Two or More 2.4%
White 1.4%
Hispanic or Latino 1.4%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: African American at 93.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 69.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Oak Park School District of the City of, which includes Pepper Elementary School.
$18,456
Per student
+17%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 21.4%
State 63.5%
Federal 15.1%
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
- 798
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 707
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 516
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 442
- Students per teacher
- 63.1:1
- Enrollment
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
Similar other schools in Oak Park
5 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Key Elementary School
Standard public school
516 students 21.6:1 students per teacher
Oak Park Virtual Academy
Alternative education program
442 students 63.1:1 students per teacher
Einstein Elementary School
Standard public school
387 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Oak Park Service Learning Academy Opsla
Standard public school
212 students 44.7:1 students per teacher
Lessenger Early Childhood Center
Standard public school
54 students 2.5:1 students per teacher
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 Pepper Elementary School
How many students attend Pepper Elementary School?
Pepper Elementary School has 416 students enrolled. It is a other school in OAK PARK, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pepper Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pepper Elementary School is 17.5:1, which is 4% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 10% higher 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 Pepper Elementary School?
80.4% of students at Pepper Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pepper Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Pepper Elementary School is African American at 93.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in OAK PARK, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pepper Elementary School?
Pepper Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (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.