Enrollment
688
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sault Sainte Marie, MI
Sault Area High School
Federal NCES profile for Sault Area High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 263099006728
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sault Area High School earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Michigan schools.
- #4 of 4
- schools in Sault Sainte Marie · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 25.5:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 34.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Sault Area High School has class sizes larger than 94% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sault Area High School ranks #4 of 4 schools in Sault Sainte Marie, MI.
School address
District: Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 263099006728 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.5:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+46% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.8%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sault Area High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sault Area High School
Sault Area High School is a large combined-grade school in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, enrolling 688 students.
Class loads run heavy: 25.5:1 is larger than about 94% of Michigan schools and 46% above the 17.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 34.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 688 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 483 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #463, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (56%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (37%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 344 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 54.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 5 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools also operates Sault Area Middle School (498 students) and Lincoln School (342 students) alongside Sault Area High 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 Sault Area High School compares
Sault Area 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 | 25.5:1 | ▲ 46% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.8% | ▼ 36% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 688 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
25.5:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
688
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% 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
25.5:1
students per teacher
- 46% above state mean
Top 94% in Michigan - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
54.7%
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
$11,391
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 344 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 66 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
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 56.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 36.9%
Two or More 1.9%
Hispanic or Latino 1.7%
African American 1.5%
Asian 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 56.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.5, Sault Area High School is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools, which includes Sault Area High School.
$11,391
Per student
-16%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.2%
State 55.4%
Federal 16.4%
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.
How Sault Area High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sault Area Middle School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lincoln School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Washington Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Malcolm High School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sault Area High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 498
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 342
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 195
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 71
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
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 (~688 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sault Area High School's federal record.
- Compare Sault Area High School against another school. Compare schools
- Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Area High School
How many students attend Sault Area High School?
Sault Area High School has 688 students enrolled. It is a public school in Sault Sainte Marie, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sault Area High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sault Area High School is 25.5:1, which is 46% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 62% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sault Area High School?
34.8% of students at Sault Area High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sault Area High School?
The largest demographic group at Sault Area High School is White at 56.4% of enrollment, in Sault Sainte Marie, MI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sault Area High School?
Sault Area High School has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sault Area High School rank among schools in Sault Sainte Marie?
By Resource Investment Index, Sault Area High School ranks #4 of 4 schools in Sault Sainte Marie, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Sault Sainte Marie on the city page.
Is Sault Area High School a good school?
Sault Area High School earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% 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 Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools?
Besides Sault Area High School, Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools also operates Sault Area Middle School (498 students), Lincoln School (342 students), and Washington Elementary School (195 students). See the Sault Ste. Marie 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.