Enrollment
569
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · West Branch, MI
Surline Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Surline Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 263585007186
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Surline Elementary School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in West Branch · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.4:1
- students per teacher
- 59.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Surline Elementary School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Surline Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in West Branch, MI.
School address
District: West Branch-Rose City Area Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 263585007186 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.2%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Surline Elementary School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Surline Elementary School
Surline Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in West Branch, Michigan, enrolling 569 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 59.2% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 569 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.
Against 528 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #341.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 15/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 569 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among West Branch's public schools, it stands alongside Alternative Educational Academy of Ogemaw County (128 students): Surline Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.4:1 vs 32:1).
West Branch-Rose City Area Schools also operates Ogemaw Heights High School (592 students) and Surline Middle School (580 students) alongside Surline 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 Surline Elementary School compares
Surline 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 | 15.4:1 | ▼ 12% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.2% | ▲ 9% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 569 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.4:1
Leaner classes than 43% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
569
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% 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
15.4:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 36% in Michigan - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
33.0%
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
$13,429
per pupil, district-wide
- below Michigan avg of $13,507
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 569 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 92.3%
Hispanic or Latino 3.5%
Two or More 3.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: White at 92.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.6, Surline Elementary School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for West Branch-Rose City Area Schools, which includes Surline Elementary School.
$13,429
Per student
-1%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.1%
State 47.3%
Federal 18.6%
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 Surline Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ogemaw Heights High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Surline Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rose City School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Surline Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 592
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 580
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 103
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar other schools in West Branch
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~569 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Surline Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Surline Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- West Branch-Rose City 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 Surline Elementary School
How many students attend Surline Elementary School?
Surline Elementary School has 569 students enrolled. It is a public school in West Branch, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Surline Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Surline Elementary School is 15.4:1, which is 12% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 2% 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 Surline Elementary School?
59.2% of students at Surline Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Surline Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Surline Elementary School is White at 92.3% of enrollment, in West Branch, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Surline Elementary School?
Surline Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (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 Surline Elementary School rank among public schools in West Branch?
By Resource Investment Index, Surline Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in West Branch, 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 West Branch on the city page.
Is Surline Elementary School a good school?
Surline Elementary School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. 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 West Branch-Rose City Area Schools?
Besides Surline Elementary School, West Branch-Rose City Area Schools also operates Ogemaw Heights High School (592 students), Surline Middle School (580 students), and Rose City School (103 students). See the West Branch-Rose City 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.