Columbia Alternative Education

Columbia Alternative Education is a secondary school of tiny scale in CLARKLAKE, Michigan, part of Columbia School District, serveing 78 students in grades 6 through 12. That puts it 83% leaner than the typical public school in Michigan, which averages around 460 students.

Columbia School District comprises 4 schools with combined enrollment of 1,428 students; Columbia Alternative Education is among them.

Demographically, Columbia Alternative Education lists that nearly all students (88%) are White. Other groups include 6% multiracial, 5% Hispanic.

Looking at school resources, Columbia Alternative Education records 5 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 15.3:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 21.6:1 average. About 46% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

In the surrounding community, Jackson County reports that median household income runs about $66,073, roughly 23% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. Columbia Alternative Education is one of 68 public schools in Jackson County (combined enrollment of about 21,681 students).

Columbia Central High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 3.6 miles from this campus. 4 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

Columbia Alternative Education operates from a small-town location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 34%: 119 students in 2018 compared to 78 in 2025. Class-load math has tightened: from 29.8:1 in 2018 to 15.3:1 in 2025.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.