New Options High School

New Options High School is one of the tiny high schools in ALLENDALE, Michigan, part of Allendale Public Schools, with 51 students on its rolls from grades 9 through 12. That puts it 89% smaller than the typical public school in Michigan, which averages around 460 students.

Allendale Public Schools comprises 6 schools with combined enrollment of 2,551 students; New Options High School is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, New Options High School logs that 71% of the student body identifies as White. Beyond that, the school reports 20% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 4% Black. The wider county runs roughly 84% White, putting the school's mix considerably less White than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, The school currently runs with 1 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 54.3:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 21.6:1 average. About 51% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is higher than Ottawa County's rate of about 34%.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Ottawa County indicate median household earnings sit near $90,502, roughly 39% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 4% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Ottawa County runs 103 public schools (combined enrollment of about 42,894 students), of which New Options High School is one.

The closest other public school is Allendale High School, roughly 0.0 miles away. 7 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

The school occupies a town-center site. As a virtual school, attendance and instruction happen remotely rather than in person.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count increased 11%: 46 students in 2018 compared to 51 in 2025. The White share of enrollment shrank from 80% to 71% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio widened from 46.0:1 in 2018 to 54.3:1 today.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.