Enrollment
1,383
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Commerce Township, MI
Walled Lake Northern High School
Federal NCES profile for Walled Lake Northern High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 263516001289
👥 S:T ratio 18
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Walled Lake Northern High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Michigan schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Michigan.
- #10 of 10
- public schools in Commerce Township · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.6:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 16.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Walled Lake Northern High School has class sizes larger than 84% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Walled Lake Northern High School ranks #10 of 10 public schools in Commerce Township, MI.
School address
District: Walled Lake Consolidated Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 263516001289 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
67.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.6:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.9%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Walled Lake Northern High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Walled Lake Northern High School
Walled Lake Northern High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in Commerce Township, Michigan, enrolling 1,383 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 20.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 16.9% free-meal eligibility runs 69% below the Michigan average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Michigan, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,383 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Among 108 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #98, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 18 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 461 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools also operates Walled Lake Central High School (1,182 students) and Walled Lake Western High School (1,033 students) alongside Walled Lake Northern 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 Walled Lake Northern High School compares
Walled Lake Northern 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 | 20.6:1 | ▲ 18% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.9% | ▼ 69% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,383 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.6:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,383
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
16.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 69% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
20.6:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 84% in Michigan - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
31.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,084
per pupil, district-wide
- above Michigan avg of $13,507
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 461 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
30
in-school suspensions + 78 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.8 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 87.1%
Hispanic or Latino 4.5%
Two or More 3.9%
African American 3.2%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 87.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.7, Walled Lake Northern High School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 18
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Walled Lake Consolidated Schools, which includes Walled Lake Northern High School.
$14,084
Per student
+4%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.5%
State 50.6%
Federal 10.0%
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 Walled Lake Northern High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walled Lake Central High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Walled Lake Western High School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Clifford H Smart Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Walnut Creek Middle School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| James R Geisler Middle School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Walled Lake Northern High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,182
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,033
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 888
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 641
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 620
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
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 (~1,383 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Walled Lake Northern High School's federal record.
- Compare Walled Lake Northern High School against another school. Compare schools
- Walled Lake Consolidated 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 Walled Lake Northern High School
How many students attend Walled Lake Northern High School?
Walled Lake Northern High School has 1,383 students enrolled. It is a high school in Commerce Township, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Walled Lake Northern High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Walled Lake Northern High School is 20.6:1, which is 18% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 31% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Walled Lake Northern High School?
16.9% of students at Walled Lake Northern High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Walled Lake Northern High School?
The largest demographic group at Walled Lake Northern High School is White at 87.1% of enrollment, in Commerce Township, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Walled Lake Northern High School?
Walled Lake Northern High School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Walled Lake Northern High School rank among public schools in Commerce Township?
By Resource Investment Index, Walled Lake Northern High School ranks #10 of 10 public schools in Commerce Township, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Commerce Township on the city page.
Is Walled Lake Northern High School a good school?
Walled Lake Northern High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Michigan schools. It is also one of the largest 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 Walled Lake Consolidated Schools?
Besides Walled Lake Northern High School, Walled Lake Consolidated Schools also operates Walled Lake Central High School (1,182 students), Walled Lake Western High School (1,033 students), and Clifford H Smart Middle School (888 students). See the Walled Lake Consolidated 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.