Enrollment
828
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 262853006402
Plainwell High School — Plainwell, MI
Federal NCES profile for Plainwell High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 22
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 34
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: Plainwell Community Schools · 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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.4:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.6%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Plainwell High 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
Plainwell High School reports 828 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% above the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 22% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 28.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 47% below the Michigan average and 45% below the national baseline. The school offers 8 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 414 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Plainwell Community Schools spends $14,697 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.1% from local sources (property taxes), 62.4% from the state, and 10.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Plainwell High 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 | 19.4:1 | ▲ 7% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.6% | ▼ 47% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 828 | top 92% | — | — |
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
28.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 47% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.4:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 76% in Michigan — lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.4%
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
$14,697
per pupil, district-wide
— below Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 414 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
148
in-school suspensions + 122 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 32.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 8 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 828 Top 92% in Michigan — larger than 8% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 19.4:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 28.6% -47% vs state
NCES ID 262853006402
Student demographics
White 84.9%
Hispanic or Latino 7.1%
Two or More 3.1%
African American 2.5%
Asian 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 84.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 8
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 414:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.4%
In-school suspensions 148
Out-of-school suspensions 122
Expulsions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Plainwell Community Schools, which includes Plainwell High School.
$14,697
Per student
-7%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.1%
State 62.4%
Federal 10.4%
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
- 569
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 439
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 288
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 86
- Students per teacher
- 42:1
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 Plainwell High School
How many students attend Plainwell High School?
Plainwell High School has 828 students enrolled. It is a high school in PLAINWELL, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Plainwell High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Plainwell High School is 19.4:1, which is 7% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 22% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Plainwell High School?
28.6% of students at Plainwell High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Plainwell High School?
The largest demographic group at Plainwell High School is White at 84.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in PLAINWELL, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Plainwell High School?
Plainwell High School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.