Enrollment
36
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Spalding, MI
Phoenix Alternative High School
Federal NCES profile for Phoenix Alternative High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 260801008629
👥 S:T ratio 52
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Phoenix Alternative High School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 87% of Michigan schools.
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12:1
- small classes for Michigan
- 71.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 36
- students enrolled
Phoenix Alternative High School has class sizes smaller than 87% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Carney-Nadeau Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 260801008629 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.1%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Phoenix Alternative High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Phoenix Alternative High School
Phoenix Alternative High School is a higher-need, small high school in Spalding, Michigan, enrolling 36 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12:1, Phoenix Alternative High School is leaner than roughly 87% of Michigan schools and 31% under the state's 17.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 71.1% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of Michigan schools, with 36 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 81 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #28.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (11%) (diversity index 45/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Its district, Carney-Nadeau Public Schools, also runs Carneynadeau Public School (217 students).
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 Phoenix Alternative High School compares
Phoenix Alternative 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 | 12:1 | ▼ 31% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.1% | ▲ 31% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 36 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
36
Bigger than 4% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
71.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% 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
12:1
students per teacher
- 31% below state mean
Top 13% in Michigan - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$12,221
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 72.2%
Hispanic or Latino 11.1%
Two or More 11.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.6%
Largest group: White at 72.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.1, Phoenix Alternative High School is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Carney-Nadeau Public Schools, which includes Phoenix Alternative High School.
$12,221
Per student
-10%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.1%
State 65.6%
Federal 12.2%
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 Phoenix Alternative High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carneynadeau Public School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Phoenix Alternative High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 217
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
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 (~36 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Phoenix Alternative High School's federal record.
- Compare Phoenix Alternative High School against another school. Compare schools
- Carney-Nadeau Public 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 Phoenix Alternative High School
How many students attend Phoenix Alternative High School?
Phoenix Alternative High School has 36 students enrolled. It is a high school in Spalding, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Phoenix Alternative High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Phoenix Alternative High School is 12:1, which is 31% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 24% 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 Phoenix Alternative High School?
71.1% of students at Phoenix Alternative High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Phoenix Alternative High School?
The largest demographic group at Phoenix Alternative High School is White at 72.2% of enrollment, in Spalding, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Phoenix Alternative High School?
Phoenix Alternative High School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Phoenix Alternative High School a good school?
Phoenix Alternative High School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 87% 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 Carney-Nadeau Public Schools?
Besides Phoenix Alternative High School, Carney-Nadeau Public Schools also operates Carneynadeau Public School (217 students). See the Carney-Nadeau Public 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.