Enrollment
507
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 261215004924
Union High School — Dowagiac, MI
Federal NCES profile for Union High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 21/100.
👥 Class size 18
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 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: Dowagiac Union School District · 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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.5:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.3%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Union 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
Union High School reports 507 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% 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 29% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 55.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 2% above the Michigan average and 7% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 254 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 47.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dowagiac Union School District spends $15,512 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.6% from local sources (property taxes), 45.7% from the state, and 21.7% 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 Union 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 | 20.5:1 | ▲ 13% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.3% | ▲ 2% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 507 | top 75% | — | — |
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
55.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 2% 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
20.5:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 84% in Michigan — lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
47.5%
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
$15,512
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 254 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
48
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 507 Top 75% in Michigan — larger than 25% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 20.5:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 55.3% +2% vs state
NCES ID 261215004924
Student demographics
White 57.8%
Hispanic or Latino 21.5%
Two or More 14.2%
African American 5.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 57.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 254:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 47.5%
In-school suspensions 48
Out-of-school suspensions 22
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dowagiac Union School District, which includes Union High School.
$15,512
Per student
-2%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.6%
State 45.7%
Federal 21.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 262
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 224
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 214
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 166
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
Similar high schools in Dowagiac
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Union High School
How many students attend Union High School?
Union High School has 507 students enrolled. It is a high school in DOWAGIAC, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Union High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Union High School is 20.5:1, which is 13% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 29% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Union High School?
55.3% of students at Union High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Union High School?
The largest demographic group at Union High School is White at 57.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in DOWAGIAC, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Union High School?
Union High School has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.