Chelsea School District
Chelsea School District is a public school district based in Chelsea, Michigan, serving 2,257 students in 4 schools. By enrollment it ranks #172 of the 316 Michigan districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 46% of them. Its schools average 564 students each, more than the Michigan median of 421. Its superintendent is Michael Kapolka. It spends about $13,499 per student on day-to-day operations, 17% more than the Michigan median. It has roughly 15.9 students per teacher.
How Chelsea compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Chelsea | Michigan median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $13,499 | $11,576 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $7,694 | $7,157 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $45.1 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $41.1 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 142 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 354 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 15.9 | 16.8 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 451 | 585 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The Michigan median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Michael Kapolka
Source: Michigan CEPI Educational Entity Master, checked 2026-10-04. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in Michigan
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitzgerald Public SchoolsWarren | 2,307 | 6 | $13,478 | 15.1 | #169 |
| Charlotte Public SchoolsCharlotte | 2,293 | 7 | $10,489 | 17.6 | #170 |
| Spring Lake Public SchoolsSpring Lake | 2,275 | 6 | $12,049 | 15.9 | #171 |
| Chelsea School DistrictChelsea · this district | 2,257 | 4 | $13,499 | 15.9 | #172 |
| Kelloggsville Public SchoolsGrand Rapids | 2,211 | 6 | $12,426 | 16.3 | #173 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Grove School DistrictPrairie Grove, AR | 2,259 | $8,817 | 13.9 |
| South Whittier ElementaryWhittier, CA | 2,258 | $16,729 | 22.1 |
| Rabun CountyClayton, GA | 2,257 | $16,177 | 12.2 |
| MSD Wabash County SchoolsWabash, IN | 2,256 | $10,475 | 15.7 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-mi-chelsea-school-district