Enrollment
778
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Sparta, MI
Sparta Senior High School
Federal NCES profile for Sparta Senior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 263237006798
👥 S:T ratio 24
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 99
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sparta Senior High School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Michigan schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Sparta · Resource Index
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 19:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 36.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Sparta Senior High School has class sizes larger than 73% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sparta Senior High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Sparta, MI.
School address
District: Sparta Area Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 263237006798 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.4%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sparta Senior High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sparta Senior High School
Sparta Senior High School is a large high school in Sparta, Michigan, enrolling 778 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19:1 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 36.4% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Michigan, bigger than 91% of state schools at 778 students.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 396 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #2, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 16 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 334 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 0.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Discipline events run high: 199 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 778 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Sparta Area Schools also operates Ridgeview Elementary School (555 students) and Appleview Elementary School (517 students) alongside Sparta Senior 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 Sparta Senior High School compares
Sparta Senior 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 | 19:1 | ▲ 9% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.4% | ▼ 33% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 778 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
778
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
36.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 33% 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
19:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 73% in Michigan - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
0.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$12,960
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
Counselors2.3 FTE
Per 334 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
95
in-school suspensions + 104 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.6 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 80.7%
Hispanic or Latino 14.5%
Two or More 2.2%
African American 1.7%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 80.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.7, Sparta Senior High School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 16
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sparta Area Schools, which includes Sparta Senior High School.
$12,960
Per student
-4%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.1%
State 56.9%
Federal 11.0%
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 Sparta Senior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgeview Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Appleview Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sparta Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sparta Senior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 555
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 517
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 503
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~778 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sparta Senior High School's federal record.
- Compare Sparta Senior High School against another school. Compare schools
- Sparta 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 Sparta Senior High School
How many students attend Sparta Senior High School?
Sparta Senior High School has 778 students enrolled. It is a high school in Sparta, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sparta Senior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sparta Senior High School is 19:1, which is 9% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sparta Senior High School?
36.4% of students at Sparta Senior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sparta Senior High School?
The largest demographic group at Sparta Senior High School is White at 80.7% of enrollment, in Sparta, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sparta Senior High School?
Sparta Senior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 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 Sparta Senior High School rank among public schools in Sparta?
By Resource Investment Index, Sparta Senior High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Sparta, 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 Sparta on the city page.
Is Sparta Senior High School a good school?
Sparta Senior High School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% 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 Sparta Area Schools?
Besides Sparta Senior High School, Sparta Area Schools also operates Ridgeview Elementary School (555 students), Appleview Elementary School (517 students), and Sparta Middle School (503 students). See the Sparta 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.