Enrollment
556
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Birmingham, MI
Pierce Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Pierce Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 260585004223
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 87
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pierce Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Birmingham · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.5:1
- students per teacher
- 5.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Pierce Elementary School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pierce Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Birmingham, MI.
School address
District: Birmingham Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 260585004223 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
5.0%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-91% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pierce Elementary School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pierce Elementary School
Pierce Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Birmingham, Michigan, enrolling 556 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 5.0% free-meal eligibility runs 91% below the Michigan average.
Enrollment of 556 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 193 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #22.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 556 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 5.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Birmingham Public Schools spends $19,274 per pupil, 43% above the Michigan average, a better-resourced district than most.
Birmingham Public Schools also operates Wylie E Groves High School (1,108 students) and Ernest W Seaholm High School (1,081 students) alongside Pierce Elementary 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 Pierce Elementary School compares
Pierce Elementary 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 | 18.5:1 | ▲ 6% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 5.0% | ▼ 91% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 556 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
556
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
5.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 91% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 68% in Michigan - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
5.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$19,274
per pupil, district-wide
- above Michigan avg of $13,507
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 556 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 81.5%
Asian 6.1%
Two or More 6.1%
Hispanic or Latino 4.5%
African American 1.8%
Largest group: White at 81.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.6, Pierce Elementary School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Birmingham Public Schools, which includes Pierce Elementary School.
$19,274
Per student
+43%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
+16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.8%
State 37.5%
Federal 6.6%
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 Pierce Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wylie E Groves High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ernest W Seaholm High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Berkshire Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Birmingham Covington School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Derby Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pierce Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,108
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 1,081
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 695
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 643
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 631
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar other 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 (~556 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pierce Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Pierce Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Birmingham 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 Pierce Elementary School
How many students attend Pierce Elementary School?
Pierce Elementary School has 556 students enrolled. It is a public school in Birmingham, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pierce Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pierce Elementary School is 18.5:1, which is 6% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pierce Elementary School?
5.0% of students at Pierce Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pierce Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Pierce Elementary School is White at 81.5% of enrollment, in Birmingham, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pierce Elementary School?
Pierce Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical 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 Pierce Elementary School rank among public schools in Birmingham?
By Resource Investment Index, Pierce Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Birmingham, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Birmingham on the city page.
Is Pierce Elementary School a good school?
Pierce Elementary School earns 46/100 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 Birmingham Public Schools?
Besides Pierce Elementary School, Birmingham Public Schools also operates Wylie E Groves High School (1,108 students), Ernest W Seaholm High School (1,081 students), and Berkshire Middle School (695 students). See the Birmingham 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.