Enrollment
205
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 263504007069
Waldron Area Schools — Waldron, MI
Federal NCES profile for Waldron Area Schools, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 42
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 59
📋 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: Waldron 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
14.5:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.0%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waldron Area Schools 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
Waldron Area Schools reports 205 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 20% 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 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 64.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 18% above the Michigan average and 24% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 205 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 49.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Waldron Area Schools spends $15,443 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.6% from local sources (property taxes), 52.7% from the state, and 22.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Waldron Area Schools 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 | 14.5:1 | ▼ 20% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.0% | ▲ 18% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 205 | top 25% | — | — |
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
64.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 18% 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
14.5:1
students per teacher
— 20% below state mean
Top 25% in Michigan — lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
49.3%
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
$15,443
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 205 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 205 Top 25% in Michigan — larger than 75% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 14.5:1 -20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 64.0% +18% vs state
NCES ID 263504007069
Student demographics
White 97.6%
Two or More 1.5%
Hispanic or Latino 1.0%
Largest group: White at 97.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 205:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 49.3%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 22
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waldron Area Schools, which includes Waldron Area Schools.
$15,443
Per student
-3%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.6%
State 52.7%
Federal 22.7%
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.
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 Waldron Area Schools
How many students attend Waldron Area Schools?
Waldron Area Schools has 205 students enrolled. It is a other school in WALDRON, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waldron Area Schools?
The student-teacher ratio at Waldron Area Schools is 14.5:1, which is 20% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 9% 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 Waldron Area Schools?
64.0% of students at Waldron Area Schools are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waldron Area Schools?
The largest demographic group at Waldron Area Schools is White at 97.6%. The school serves a student body in WALDRON, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waldron Area Schools?
Waldron Area Schools has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) based on 4 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.