Enrollment
519
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Shepherd, MI
Shepherd High School
Federal NCES profile for Shepherd High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 263138006741
👥 S:T ratio 10
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Shepherd High School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Michigan schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Shepherd · Resource Index
- 23
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.6:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 35.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Shepherd High School has class sizes larger than 90% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Shepherd High School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Shepherd, MI.
School address
District: Shepherd Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 263138006741 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.6:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.5%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shepherd High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Shepherd High School
Shepherd High School is a mid-sized high school in Shepherd, Michigan, enrolling 519 students.
Class loads run heavy: 22.6:1 is larger than about 90% of Michigan schools and 29% 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 35.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 519 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 623 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #367.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 260 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Shepherd Public Schools also operates Shepherd Elementary School (544 students) and Shepherd Middle School (390 students) alongside Shepherd 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 Shepherd High School compares
Shepherd 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 | 22.6:1 | ▲ 29% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.5% | ▼ 35% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 519 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.6:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
519
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% 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
22.6:1
students per teacher
- 29% 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
32.9%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 260 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 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 88.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.2%
Hispanic or Latino 3.5%
African American 1.5%
Two or More 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 88.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.9, Shepherd High School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Shepherd Public Schools, which includes Shepherd High 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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shepherd Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Shepherd Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Winn Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Odyssey Middlehigh School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Shepherd High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 544
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- 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 high 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 (~519 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Shepherd High School's federal record.
- Compare Shepherd High 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 High School
How many students attend Shepherd High School?
Shepherd High School has 519 students enrolled. It is a high school in Shepherd, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shepherd High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Shepherd High School is 22.6:1, which is 29% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 44% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Shepherd High School?
35.5% of students at Shepherd High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shepherd High School?
The largest demographic group at Shepherd High School is White at 88.2% of enrollment, in Shepherd, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shepherd High School?
Shepherd High School has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Shepherd High School rank among public schools in Shepherd?
By Resource Investment Index, Shepherd High School ranks #2 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 High School a good school?
Shepherd High School earns 23/100 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 Shepherd Public Schools?
Besides Shepherd High School, Shepherd Public Schools also operates Shepherd Elementary School (544 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.