Enrollment
351
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 263351006885
Tawas Area High School — Tawas City, MI
Federal NCES profile for Tawas Area High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 21/100.
👥 Class size 23
📚 AP courses 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Tawas Area Schools · Michigan
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.2:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.9%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tawas Area High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Tawas Area High School reports 351 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% above the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 27% below the Michigan average and 23% below the national baseline. The school offers 4 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 351 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 43.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tawas Area Schools spends $12,615 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 39.3% from local sources (property taxes), 47.8% from the state, and 12.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Tawas Area High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Michigan state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.2:1 | ▲ 5% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.9% | ▼ 27% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 351 | top 49% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
39.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 27% 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
19.2:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 74% in Michigan — lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
43.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,615
per pupil, district-wide
— below Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 351 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
43
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 11 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 351 Top 49% in Michigan — larger than 51% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 19.2:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.9% -27% vs state
NCES ID 263351006885
Student demographics
White 88.6%
Two or More 5.1%
Hispanic or Latino 3.4%
Asian 2.0%
African American 0.9%
Largest group: White at 88.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 4
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 351:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 43.3%
In-school suspensions 43
Out-of-school suspensions 45
Expulsions 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tawas Area Schools, which includes Tawas Area High School.
$12,615
Per student
-20%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 39.3%
State 47.8%
Federal 12.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 433
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 340
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Tawas Area High School
How many students attend Tawas Area High School?
Tawas Area High School has 351 students enrolled. It is a high school in TAWAS CITY, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tawas Area High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Tawas Area High School is 19.2:1, which is 5% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tawas Area High School?
39.9% of students at Tawas Area High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tawas Area High School?
The largest demographic group at Tawas Area High School is White at 88.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in TAWAS CITY, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tawas Area High School?
Tawas Area High School has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.