Enrollment
78
High
DISTRICT 358 · STATE 460
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·COLUMBIA SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 260699001117
Columbia Alternative Education
4460 N LAKE RD, CLARKLAKE, MI 49234 · (517) 529-9400 · Jackson County
GRADES 06–12HIGH41-RURALTITLE IALTERNATIVE EDUCATION SCHOOL78 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded
Schools serving specialized populations are not graded, because state test results are not a fair comparison for them. How grades work
Student : Teacher
15.3:1
5 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.6:1 · STATE 21.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
46%
36 students
DISTRICT 37% · STATE 55%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 1 | 1% |
| Grade 8 | 5 | 6% |
| Grade 9 | 15 | 19% |
| Grade 10 | 21 | 27% |
| Grade 11 | 19 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 17 | 22% |
Student demographics
21%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 19% · STATE 56% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
QUIET COMMUNITY
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START A DISCUSSIONBeatsExpectations
Not computed for this schoolBeatsExpectations is not computed for specialized-population schools (schools for the deaf or blind, therapeutic and behavioral-health placements, juvenile-justice and alternative-education settings, and similar). State ELA/Math proficiency rates are not a comparable metric for these populations, so a demographically-adjusted residual against general-enrollment peers would be misleading. About the methodology →
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
78
+1 (+1%) vs 2020
+24% since 2000-01, when it was 63
Student : Teacher
15.3:1
was 25.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 78 | 5.1 | 15.3:1 | 46% (36) |
| 2023-24 | 85 | 3.5 | 24.2:1 | 64% (54) |
| 2022-23 | 88 | 3.5 | 25.1:1 | 61% (54) |
| 2020-21 | 77 | 3 | 25.7:1 | 61% (47) |
| 2017-18 | 119 | 4 | 29.8:1 | 54% (64) |
| 2015-16 | 98 | 3 | 32.7:1 | 50% (49) |
| 2010-11 | 83 | 4 | 20.8:1 | 64% (53) |
| 2000-01 | 63 | 4 | 15.8:1 | 0% (0) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Columbia Alternative Education.
Since 2017-18: students down 34% (119 to 78); teachers up 27% (4 to 5.1).
About Columbia Alternative Education
Columbia Alternative Education is a small high school in CLARKLAKE, Michigan, one of the schools in Columbia School District. A federal count lists 78 students at the school, in grades 6 through 12. An average school in this group (high schools in Michigan) has about 460 students.
District-wide, Columbia School District has 4 schools and 1,428 students.
Columbia Alternative Education enrolls a student body that is 88% White. It is also 6% multiracial and 5% Hispanic. Columbia Alternative Education has a diversity index of 21%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Dividing enrollment by its 5.1 full-time-equivalent teachers gives a ratio of about 15.3:1. The average ratio among high schools in Michigan is 21.6:1, higher than at this school. Columbia Alternative Education reports 46% of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
County data help place the school in context: in Jackson County, median household income is about $66,073, about 23% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 8%. Columbia Alternative Education is among the 68 public schools in Jackson County.
The nearest other public school, Columbia Central High School, is about 3.6 miles away. In all, 4 other public schools sit within five miles of Columbia Alternative Education.
Federal data place Columbia Alternative Education in the Rural: Fringe locale, which means it is in rural territory close to an urban area.
Columbia Alternative Education had 77 students in 2020-21 and 78 in 2024-25, nearly the same. There were fewer students per teacher in 2024-25 (15.3:1) than in 2020-21 (25.7:1).
Parents and students can post about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs at Columbia Alternative Education. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Jackson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
160,060
Census ACS
Median income
$66,073
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
23%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
68
21,681 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Columbia School District
- Columbia Central High SchoolHigh · 637 students
- Columbia Upper Elementary SchoolElementary · 406 students
- Columbia Elementary SchoolElementary · 307 students
Nearby schools
- Columbia Central High School3.6 mi · 637
- Jackson Preparatory Early College4.4 mi · 260
- Columbia Elementary School4.9 mi · 307
- Columbia Upper Elementary School5.0 mi · 406
- Ackerson High School5.1 mi · 84
- Townsend Elementary School5.1 mi · 316
Frequently asked questions
About Columbia Alternative EducationHow many students attend Columbia Alternative Education?
Columbia Alternative Education enrolls approximately 78 students in grades 06-12.
What grades does Columbia Alternative Education serve?
Columbia Alternative Education serves grades 06-12.
How many students per teacher at Columbia Alternative Education?
Approximately 15.3:1 students per teacher at Columbia Alternative Education.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Columbia Alternative Education?
At Columbia Alternative Education, the student body is approximately 88% White, 5% Hispanic, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees Columbia Alternative Education?
Columbia Alternative Education is overseen by Columbia School District in Jackson County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.