Enrollment
127
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Marquette, MI
Vandenboom Alternative High School
Federal NCES profile for Vandenboom Alternative High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 260001301885
👥 S:T ratio 36
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Vandenboom Alternative High School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.9:1
- students per teacher
- 63.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 127
- students enrolled
Vandenboom Alternative High School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Marquette Area Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 260001301885 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.8%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vandenboom Alternative High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Vandenboom Alternative High School
Vandenboom Alternative High School is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Marquette, Michigan, enrolling 127 students.
At 15.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Michigan median, within a few percentage points of the 17.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 63.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 127 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 92% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 175 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #23.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 127 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Marquette Area Public Schools also operates Marquette Senior High School (940 students) and Bothwell Middle School (696 students) alongside Vandenboom Alternative High 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 Vandenboom Alternative High School compares
Vandenboom Alternative High 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 | 15.9:1 | ▼ 9% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.8% | ▲ 17% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 127 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.9:1
Leaner classes than 39% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
127
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
63.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% 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
15.9:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 41% in Michigan - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Funding equity
$11,849
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 127 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.4 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 80.3%
Two or More 10.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.7%
Hispanic or Latino 3.1%
African American 1.6%
Largest group: White at 80.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.1, Vandenboom Alternative High 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 Marquette Area Public Schools, which includes Vandenboom Alternative High School.
$11,849
Per student
-12%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.5%
State 58.1%
Federal 9.5%
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 Vandenboom Alternative High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marquette Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bothwell Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cherry Creek Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Superior Hills Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sandy Knoll School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Vandenboom Alternative High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 940
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 696
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 430
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 405
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 322
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
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 (~127 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Vandenboom Alternative High School's federal record.
- Compare Vandenboom Alternative High School against another school. Compare schools
- Marquette Area Public 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 Vandenboom Alternative High School
How many students attend Vandenboom Alternative High School?
Vandenboom Alternative High School has 127 students enrolled. It is a high school in Marquette, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vandenboom Alternative High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Vandenboom Alternative High School is 15.9:1, which is 9% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 1% higher 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 Vandenboom Alternative High School?
63.8% of students at Vandenboom Alternative High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vandenboom Alternative High School?
The largest demographic group at Vandenboom Alternative High School is White at 80.3% of enrollment, in Marquette, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vandenboom Alternative High School?
Vandenboom Alternative High School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Vandenboom Alternative High School a good school?
Vandenboom Alternative High School earns 38/100 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 Marquette Area Public Schools?
Besides Vandenboom Alternative High School, Marquette Area Public Schools also operates Marquette Senior High School (940 students), Bothwell Middle School (696 students), and Cherry Creek Elementary School (430 students). See the Marquette Area Public 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.