Enrollment
705
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Byron Center, MI
Robert L Nickels Intermediate School
Federal NCES profile for Robert L Nickels Intermediate School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 22/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 260756001129
👥 S:T ratio 9
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Robert L Nickels Intermediate School earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Michigan schools.
- #4 of 4
- elementary schools in Byron Center · Resource Index
- 22
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.7:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 21.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Robert L Nickels Intermediate School has class sizes larger than 90% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Robert L Nickels Intermediate School ranks #4 of 4 elementary schools in Byron Center, MI.
School address
District: Byron Center Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 260756001129 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.7:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.5%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Robert L Nickels Intermediate School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Robert L Nickels Intermediate School
Robert L Nickels Intermediate School is a large elementary school in Byron Center, Michigan, enrolling 705 students.
Class loads run heavy: 22.7:1 is larger than about 90% of Michigan schools and 30% above the 17.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 21.5% free-meal eligibility runs 60% below the Michigan average.
Enrollment of 705 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Among 418 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #362, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Hispanic or Latino (8%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 705 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Byron Center Public Schools also operates Byron Center High School (1,387 students) and Byron Center West Middle School (729 students) alongside Robert L Nickels Intermediate 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 Robert L Nickels Intermediate School compares
Robert L Nickels Intermediate 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 | 22.7:1 | ▲ 30% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.5% | ▼ 60% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 705 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.7:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
705
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 60% 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
22.7:1
students per teacher
- 30% above state mean
Top 90% in Michigan - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
20.7%
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
$12,206
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 705 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
31
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.4 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 75.5%
Hispanic or Latino 8.4%
Two or More 7.9%
Asian 6.7%
African American 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 75.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.2, Robert L Nickels Intermediate School is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Byron Center Public Schools, which includes Robert L Nickels Intermediate School.
$12,206
Per student
-10%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.0%
State 51.6%
Federal 9.5%
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 Robert L Nickels Intermediate School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Byron Center High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Byron Center West Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Marshall Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Brown Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Countryside Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Robert L Nickels Intermediate School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,387
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 729
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 463
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 438
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 426
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar elementary 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 (~705 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Robert L Nickels Intermediate School's federal record.
- Compare Robert L Nickels Intermediate School against another school. Compare schools
- Byron Center 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 Robert L Nickels Intermediate School
How many students attend Robert L Nickels Intermediate School?
Robert L Nickels Intermediate School has 705 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Byron Center, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Robert L Nickels Intermediate School?
The student-teacher ratio at Robert L Nickels Intermediate School is 22.7:1, which is 30% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 45% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Robert L Nickels Intermediate School?
21.5% of students at Robert L Nickels Intermediate School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Robert L Nickels Intermediate School?
The largest demographic group at Robert L Nickels Intermediate School is White at 75.5% of enrollment, in Byron Center, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Robert L Nickels Intermediate School?
Robert L Nickels Intermediate School has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (lower 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 Robert L Nickels Intermediate School rank among elementary schools in Byron Center?
By Resource Investment Index, Robert L Nickels Intermediate School ranks #4 of 4 elementary schools in Byron Center, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Byron Center on the city page.
Is Robert L Nickels Intermediate School a good school?
Robert L Nickels Intermediate School earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% 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 Byron Center Public Schools?
Besides Robert L Nickels Intermediate School, Byron Center Public Schools also operates Byron Center High School (1,387 students), Byron Center West Middle School (729 students), and Marshall Elementary School (463 students). See the Byron Center 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.