Enrollment
13
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Spring Lake, MI
Spring Lake Alternative Education
Federal NCES profile for Spring Lake Alternative Education, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 263255001461
👥 S:T ratio 48
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Spring Lake Alternative Education earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 83% of Michigan schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Michigan.
- #3 of 9
- public schools in Spring Lake · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13:1
- small classes for Michigan
- 65.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Spring Lake Alternative Education has class sizes smaller than 83% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Spring Lake Alternative Education ranks #3 of 9 public schools in Spring Lake, MI.
School address
District: Spring Lake Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 263255001461 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.4%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spring Lake Alternative Education compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Spring Lake Alternative Education
Spring Lake Alternative Education is a higher-need, small high school in Spring Lake, Michigan, enrolling 13 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13:1 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 65.4% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 98% of Michigan schools, with 13 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Among 23 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #18, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Spring Lake Public Schools also operates Spring Lake High School (795 students) and Holmes Elementary School (409 students) alongside Spring Lake Alternative Education.
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 Spring Lake Alternative Education compares
Spring Lake Alternative Education on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13:1 | ▼ 26% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.4% | ▲ 20% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 13 | top 98% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
13
Bigger than 2% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% 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
13:1
students per teacher
- 26% below state mean
Top 17% in Michigan - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$13,226
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
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.4 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 84.6%
Two or More 15.4%
Largest group: White at 84.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.1, Spring Lake Alternative Education is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spring Lake Public Schools, which includes Spring Lake Alternative Education.
$13,226
Per student
-2%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.1%
State 54.8%
Federal 5.1%
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 Spring Lake Alternative Education Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Lake High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Holmes Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jeffers Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Spring Lake Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Spring Lake Intermediate School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Spring Lake Alternative Education's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 795
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 409
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 345
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 330
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
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 (~13 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Spring Lake Alternative Education's federal record.
- Compare Spring Lake Alternative Education against another school. Compare schools
- Spring Lake 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 Spring Lake Alternative Education
How many students attend Spring Lake Alternative Education?
Spring Lake Alternative Education has 13 students enrolled. It is a high school in Spring Lake, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spring Lake Alternative Education?
The student-teacher ratio at Spring Lake Alternative Education is 13:1, which is 26% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 17% 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 Spring Lake Alternative Education?
65.4% of students at Spring Lake Alternative Education are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Spring Lake Alternative Education?
The largest demographic group at Spring Lake Alternative Education is White at 84.6% of enrollment, in Spring Lake, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spring Lake Alternative Education?
Spring Lake Alternative Education has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Spring Lake Alternative Education rank among public schools in Spring Lake?
By Resource Investment Index, Spring Lake Alternative Education ranks #3 of 9 public schools in Spring Lake, 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 Spring Lake on the city page.
Is Spring Lake Alternative Education a good school?
Spring Lake Alternative Education earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 83% of Michigan schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Michigan. 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 Spring Lake Public Schools?
Besides Spring Lake Alternative Education, Spring Lake Public Schools also operates Spring Lake High School (795 students), Holmes Elementary School (409 students), and Jeffers Elementary School (379 students). See the Spring Lake 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.