Enrollment
30
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 268060000873
Valley Center School — Kalamazoo, MI
Federal NCES profile for Valley Center School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 74
🌟 Gifted program 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: Kalamazoo Resa · 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)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.4:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-65% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.6%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valley Center 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
Valley Center School reports 30 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 5.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 6.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 65% below the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 60% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 65.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 21% above the Michigan average and 27% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 70.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Valley Center 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 | 6.4:1 | ▼ 65% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.6% | ▲ 21% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 30 | top 5% | — | — |
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
65.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 21% 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
6.4:1
students per teacher
— 65% below state mean
Top 4% in Michigan — lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
70.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 56.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 30 Top 5% in Michigan — larger than 95% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 5.0
Students per teacher 6.4:1 -65% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 65.6% +21% vs state
NCES ID 268060000873
Student demographics
White 50.0%
Two or More 26.7%
African American 23.3%
Largest group: White at 50.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 70.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 222
- Students per teacher
- 6.5:1
- Enrollment
- 126
- Students per teacher
- —
- Enrollment
- 51
- Students per teacher
- 3.9:1
Similar other schools in Kalamazoo
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Kingwestwood Elementary School
Standard public school
531 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
Woods Lake Elementarya Magnet Center for the Arts
Standard public school
501 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Winchell Elementary School
Standard public school
465 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
Prairie Ridge Elementary School
Standard public school
449 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Parkwoodupjohn Elementary School
Standard public school
427 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Parchment High School
Standard public school
412 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
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 Valley Center School
How many students attend Valley Center School?
Valley Center School has 30 students enrolled. It is a other school in KALAMAZOO, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley Center School?
The student-teacher ratio at Valley Center School is 6.4:1, which is 65% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 60% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Valley Center School?
65.6% of students at Valley Center School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valley Center School?
The largest demographic group at Valley Center School is White at 50.0%. The school serves a student body in KALAMAZOO, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valley Center School?
Valley Center School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.