Enrollment
780
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Sand Lake, MI
Sand Lake Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Sand Lake Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 263393006960
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 74
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sand Lake Elementary School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Michigan schools.
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 33.9:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 57.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 780
- students enrolled
Sand Lake Elementary School has class sizes larger than 97% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Tri County Area Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 263393006960 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
33.9:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+94% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.7%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sand Lake Elementary School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sand Lake Elementary School
Sand Lake Elementary School is a higher-need, large elementary school in Sand Lake, Michigan, enrolling 780 students.
Class loads run heavy: 33.9:1 is larger than about 97% of Michigan schools and 94% above the 17.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.7% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Michigan, bigger than 91% of state schools at 780 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Among 290 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #15, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
10.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Tri County Area Schools also operates Tri County Senior High School (473 students) and Macnaughton School (388 students) alongside Sand Lake 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 Sand Lake Elementary School compares
Sand Lake 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 | 33.9:1 | ▲ 94% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.7% | ▲ 6% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 780 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
33.9:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
780
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% 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
33.9:1
students per teacher
- 94% above state mean
Top 97% in Michigan - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
10.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,858
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
20
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 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 87.8%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Two or More 5.3%
African American 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 87.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.3, Sand Lake Elementary School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tri County Area Schools, which includes Sand Lake Elementary School.
$12,858
Per student
-5%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.6%
State 62.9%
Federal 14.6%
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 Sand Lake Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tri County Senior High School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Macnaughton School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Tri County Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sand Lake Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 473
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 388
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 381
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
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 (~780 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~33.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sand Lake Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Sand Lake Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Tri County Area 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 Sand Lake Elementary School
How many students attend Sand Lake Elementary School?
Sand Lake Elementary School has 780 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Sand Lake, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sand Lake Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sand Lake Elementary School is 33.9:1, which is 94% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 116% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sand Lake Elementary School?
57.7% of students at Sand Lake Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sand Lake Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Sand Lake Elementary School is White at 87.8% of enrollment, in Sand Lake, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sand Lake Elementary School?
Sand Lake Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Sand Lake Elementary School a good school?
Sand Lake Elementary School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% 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 Tri County Area Schools?
Besides Sand Lake Elementary School, Tri County Area Schools also operates Tri County Senior High School (473 students), Macnaughton School (388 students), and Tri County Middle School (381 students). See the Tri County Area 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.