Royal Oak Schools
Royal Oak Schools is a public school district based in Royal Oak, Michigan, serving 4,904 students in 9 schools. By enrollment it ranks #55 of the 316 Michigan districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 83% of them. Its schools average 545 students each, more than the Michigan median of 421. Its superintendent is John Tafelski. It spends about $13,129 per student on day-to-day operations, 13% more than the Michigan median. It has roughly 14.2 students per teacher.
How Royal Oak compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Royal Oak | Michigan median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $13,129 | $11,576 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $8,069 | $7,157 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $90.2 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $83.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 345 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 707 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 14.2 | 16.8 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 490 | 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 →John Tafelski
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartland Consolidated SchoolsHartland | 5,002 | 9 | $9,914 | 16.8 | #52 |
| Berrien Springs Public SchoolsBerrien Springs | 4,993 | 9 | $11,842 | 30.3 | #53 |
| Bloomfield Hills SchoolsBloomfield Hills | 4,967 | 10 | $19,782 | 11.7 | #54 |
| Royal Oak SchoolsRoyal Oak · this district | 4,904 | 9 | $13,129 | 14.2 | #55 |
| Lincoln Park School District of the City ofLincoln Park | 4,895 | 11 | $16,167 | 14.3 | #56 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orcutt Union ElementaryOrcutt, CA | 4,911 | $11,751 | 24.9 |
| Barren CountyGlasgow, KY | 4,908 | $11,496 | 15.5 |
| Poplar Bluff R-IPoplar Bluff, MO | 4,899 | $9,848 | 13.1 |
| Avon Grove School DistrictWest Grove, PA | 4,896 | $14,079 | 13.9 |
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-royal-oak-schools