North Branch Area Schools
North Branch Area Schools is a public school district based in North Branch, Michigan, serving 2,431 students in 4 schools. By enrollment it ranks #160 of the 316 Michigan districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 50% of them. Its schools average 608 students each, more than the Michigan median of 421. Its superintendent is James Fish. It spends about $9,478 per student on day-to-day operations, 18% less than the Michigan median. It has roughly 18.6 students per teacher.
How North Branch Area compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | North Branch Area | Michigan median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $9,478 | $11,576 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $6,151 | $7,157 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $26.0 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $31.2 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 131 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 320 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 18.6 | 16.8 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 810 | 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 →James Fish
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamphere Public SchoolsMadison Heights | 2,452 | 7 | $15,289 | 15.1 | #159 |
| North Branch Area SchoolsNorth Branch · this district | 2,431 | 4 | $9,478 | 18.6 | #160 |
| Big Rapids Public SchoolsBig Rapids | 2,411 | 6 | $11,639 | 19.9 | #161 |
| Fowlerville Community SchoolsFowlerville | 2,410 | 5 | $10,809 | 15.4 | #162 |
| Public Schools of PetoskeyPetoskey | 2,409 | 6 | $12,087 | 14.7 | #163 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rich Twp HSD 227Matteson, IL | 2,433 | $26,529 | 12.3 |
| Brookhaven School DistrictBrookhaven, MS | 2,432 | $10,034 | 12.0 |
| Erlanger-Elsmere IndependentErlanger, KY | 2,431 | $12,146 | 14.8 |
| Letcher CountyWhitesburg, KY | 2,429 | $12,111 | 14.5 |
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-north-branch-area-schools