Enrollment
544
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Shepherd, MI
Shepherd Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Shepherd Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 18/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 263138006740
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Shepherd Elementary School earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 74% of Michigan schools.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Shepherd · Resource Index
- 18
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.3:1
- small classes for Michigan
- 53.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Shepherd Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 74% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Shepherd Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Shepherd, MI.
School address
District: Shepherd Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 263138006740 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.3%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shepherd Elementary School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Shepherd Elementary School
Shepherd Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Shepherd, Michigan, enrolling 544 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 53.3% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 544 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 593 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #497, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1088 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Shepherd Public Schools also operates Shepherd High School (519 students) and Shepherd Middle School (390 students) alongside Shepherd 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 Shepherd Elementary School compares
Shepherd 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 | 14.3:1 | ▼ 18% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.3% | ▼ 2% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 544 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
544
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 26% in Michigan - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
45.4%
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
$11,184
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 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 85.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.5%
African American 1.5%
Two or More 1.5%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 85.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.9, Shepherd Elementary School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Shepherd Public Schools, which includes Shepherd Elementary School.
$11,184
Per student
-17%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.5%
State 67.8%
Federal 10.7%
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 Shepherd Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shepherd High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Shepherd Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Winn Elementary School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Odyssey Middlehigh School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Shepherd Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 519
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 390
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 224
- Students per teacher
- 32:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 69
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
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 (~544 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Shepherd Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Shepherd Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Shepherd 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 Shepherd Elementary School
How many students attend Shepherd Elementary School?
Shepherd Elementary School has 544 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Shepherd, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shepherd Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Shepherd Elementary School is 14.3:1, which is 18% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Shepherd Elementary School?
53.3% of students at Shepherd Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shepherd Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Shepherd Elementary School is White at 85.1% of enrollment, in Shepherd, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shepherd Elementary School?
Shepherd Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (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 Shepherd Elementary School rank among public schools in Shepherd?
By Resource Investment Index, Shepherd Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Shepherd, 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 Shepherd on the city page.
Is Shepherd Elementary School a good school?
Shepherd Elementary School earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 74% 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 Shepherd Public Schools?
Besides Shepherd Elementary School, Shepherd Public Schools also operates Shepherd High School (519 students), Shepherd Middle School (390 students), and Winn Elementary School (224 students). See the Shepherd 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.