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Teachers: what resource would make the biggest difference at Pennfield Senior High School this year?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
748
High
DISTRICT 375 · STATE 460
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PENNFIELD SCHOOLS·NCES 262781006362
Pennfield Senior High School
8299 PENNFIELD RD, BATTLE CREEK, MI 49017 · (269) 961-9770 · Calhoun County
GRADES 08–12HIGH41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL748 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 55% of Michigan public high schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Michigan public high schools
Student : Teacher
22.2:1
34 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.5:1 · STATE 21.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
51%
379 students
DISTRICT 60% · STATE 55%
Community
5
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 8 | 155 | 21% |
| Grade 9 | 152 | 20% |
| Grade 10 | 132 | 18% |
| Grade 11 | 147 | 20% |
| Grade 12 | 161 | 22% |
| Ungraded | 1 | 0% |
Student demographics
33%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 36% · 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
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Pennfield Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
45.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
43.8%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 45% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 44% typical for Michigan schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Michigan's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Pennfield Senior High School
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennfield Senior High School this school | 748 | 50.7% | 45.4% |
| Clio Area High School CLIO | 684 | 53.2% | N/A |
| Allegan High School ALLEGAN | 543 | 52.9% | N/A |
| Airport Senior High School CARLETON | 760 | 45.5% | N/A |
| StandishSterling Central JrSr High School STANDISH | 660 | 52.1% | 41.4% |
| Michigan Center JrSr High School MICHIGAN CENTER | 700 | 44.1% | 25.9% |
Matched among Michigan high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Pennfield Senior High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Michigan | In Calhoun County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 45.4% | #33 of 62 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 748 | #209 of 844 | #5 of 13 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 22.2:1 | #483 of 548 | #7 of 7 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 33.0% | #230 of 550 | #4 of 7 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 50.7% | #294 of 654 | #6 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +1.2% | #109 of 126 | N/A |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
748
+64 (+9%) vs 2020
+52% since 1990-91, when it was 491
Student : Teacher
22.2:1
was 21.4:1
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 | 748 | 33.7 | 22.2:1 | 51% (379) |
| 2023-24 | 778 | 31.7 | 24.6:1 | 59% (459) |
| 2022-23 | 653 | 28.7 | 22.8:1 | 53% (345) |
| 2020-21 | 684 | 32 | 21.4:1 | 42% (287) |
| 2017-18 | 739 | 32.4 | 22.8:1 | 43% (315) |
| 2015-16 | 675 | 30 | 22.5:1 | 36% (244) |
| 2010-11 | 692 | 31 | 22.3:1 | 37% (255) |
| 2000-01 | 549 | 30 | 18.3:1 | 11% (60) |
| 1990-91 | 491 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Pennfield Senior High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 1% (739 to 748); teachers up 4% (32.4 to 33.7).
About Pennfield Senior High School
In BATTLE CREEK, Michigan, Pennfield Senior High School is a large high school. Its grade span covers grades 8 through 12, with 748 students on the rolls. On average, high schools in Michigan enroll around 460, and this school is 63% larger than that mark.
Pennfield Senior High School belongs to Pennfield Schools, a district of 5 schools and 1,877 students.
Pennfield Senior High School is 81% White by enrollment. The next largest groups are 9% multiracial, 5% Hispanic, and 4% Black. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Pennfield Senior High School scores 33%.
Based on 33.7 full-time-equivalent teachers, Pennfield Senior High School has a ratio of 22.2:1. That is in line with the 21.6:1 average for high schools in Michigan. Eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch stands at 51%.
Pennfield Senior High School earns a B on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 55% of Michigan public high schools.
Pennfield Senior High School's actual average proficiency rate across its state test results (45.4%) and its predicted rate (43.8%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of Michigan schools.
In Calhoun County, where the school is located, the median household earns about $63,177 a year, 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Calhoun County number 56, with about 18,982 students.
Pennfield Dunlap Elementary is about 0.2 miles away, making it the nearest public school. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. Compared with its nearest neighbors, Pennfield Senior High School ranks 1st of 4 on average proficiency.
For locale, NCES codes Pennfield Senior High School as Rural: Fringe.
The school's student count rose 9% between the 2020-21 and 2024-25 school years.
Parents, students, and staff can share information on pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback here. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Calhoun County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
133,778
Census ACS
Median income
$63,177
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
23%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
56
18,982 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Pennfield Schools
- Pennfield Middle SchoolMiddle · 471 students
- Pennfield Dunlap ElementaryElementary · 273 students
- Pennfield Purdy SchoolElementary · 197 students
- North Pennfield ElementaryElementary · 188 students
Other schools in BATTLE CREEK
- Lakeview High SchoolHigh · 1,241 students
- Lakeview Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,082 students
- Battle Creek Central High SchoolHigh · 978 students
- Harper Creek Middle SchoolMiddle · 896 students
- Harper Creek High SchoolHigh · 823 students
- Endeavor Charter AcademyElementary · 648 students
Nearby schools
- Pennfield Dunlap Elementary0.2 mi · 273
- Pennfield Middle School0.3 mi · 471
- Pennfield Purdy School2.1 mi · 197
- North Pennfield Elementary2.5 mi · 188
- Verona Elementary School2.9 mi · 201
- Doris Klaussen Dev Center3.4 mi · 204
Frequently asked questions
About Pennfield Senior High SchoolHow many students attend Pennfield Senior High School?
Pennfield Senior High School enrolls approximately 748 students in grades 08-12.
Is Pennfield Senior High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Pennfield Senior High School is a high school covering grades 08-12.
How many students per teacher at Pennfield Senior High School?
Approximately 22.2:1 students per teacher at Pennfield Senior High School.
What is the student diversity at Pennfield Senior High School?
Student demographics at Pennfield Senior High School are roughly 81% White, 5% Hispanic, 4% Black, 0% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Who oversees Pennfield Senior High School?
Pennfield Senior High School is overseen by Pennfield Schools in Calhoun County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.