Enrollment
19
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Lowell, MI
Unity Alternative School
Federal NCES profile for Unity Alternative School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 262205005928
👥 S:T ratio 24
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 62
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Unity Alternative School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Michigan schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Michigan.
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 72.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 19
- students enrolled
Unity Alternative School has class sizes larger than 73% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Lowell Area Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 262205005928 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.2%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Unity Alternative School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Unity Alternative School
Unity Alternative School is a higher-need, small high school in Lowell, Michigan, enrolling 19 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 above the state's typical profile, with 72.2% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 97% of Michigan schools, with 19 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 47 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #25.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 190 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Lowell Area Schools also operates Lowell Senior High School (1,058 students) and Lowell Middle School (790 students) alongside Unity Alternative 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 Unity Alternative School compares
Unity Alternative 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 | 72.2% | ▲ 33% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 19 | top 97% | - | - |
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.
19
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
72.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 33% 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
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.
Funding equity
$12,374
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
Counselors0.1 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.5 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 89.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.3%
Two or More 5.3%
Largest group: White at 89.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.3, Unity Alternative School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lowell Area Schools, which includes Unity Alternative School.
$12,374
Per student
-8%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.0%
State 59.6%
Federal 7.4%
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 Unity Alternative School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lowell Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cherry Creek Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Murray Lake Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Alto Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Unity Alternative School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,058
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 790
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 485
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 433
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 417
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
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 (~19 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Unity Alternative School's federal record.
- Compare Unity Alternative School against another school. Compare schools
- Lowell 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 Unity Alternative School
How many students attend Unity Alternative School?
Unity Alternative School has 19 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lowell, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Unity Alternative School?
The student-teacher ratio at Unity Alternative 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 Unity Alternative School?
72.2% of students at Unity Alternative School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Unity Alternative School?
The largest demographic group at Unity Alternative School is White at 89.5% of enrollment, in Lowell, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Unity Alternative School?
Unity Alternative School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Unity Alternative School a good school?
Unity Alternative School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% 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 Lowell Area Schools?
Besides Unity Alternative School, Lowell Area Schools also operates Lowell Senior High School (1,058 students), Lowell Middle School (790 students), and Cherry Creek Elementary School (485 students). See the Lowell 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.