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Grand Rapids, Michigan - 7 schools
An equity score of 94/100 ranks Lighthouse Academy #1 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $21,064 per pupil, Lighthouse Academy ranks #31 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
344
Total Enrollment
7
Schools
$21,064
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Lighthouse Academy operates 7 public schools serving 344 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 combined, 1 high schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Kent County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $21,064 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 83 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending. See how Michigan compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 7.7% local, 64.9% state, and 27.4% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 94/100, ranked #1 of 707 in Michigan against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
and 25.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 48.0% African American, 31.3% White, 11.3% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Lighthouse Academy Juvenile Justice Institute, with a diversity index of 67.4/100.
Its largest campus is Lighthouse Academy South Campus, enrolling 213 students (58% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Lighthouse Academy the Pier, at 7 students, a 30x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Lighthouse Academy South Campus accounts for 57.6% of all Lighthouse Academy student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Lighthouse Academy a distant remainder — means Lighthouse Academy-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Lighthouse Academy school enrollment varies 30× across entities
Lighthouse Academy school enrollment ranges from 7 students (lowest) to 213 students (highest), a spread of 206 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Lighthouse Academy has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 90.3% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is a supermajority of the population — well past the 75% concentration-grant threshold that unlocks extra funding on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Lighthouse Academy chronic absenteeism rate is 25.5% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Lighthouse Academy is typically wider than the Lighthouse Academy-aggregate figure suggests.
Lighthouse Academy has 7 schools, including 6 combined, 1 high. Total enrollment is 344 students.
How much does Lighthouse Academy spend per student?
Lighthouse Academy spends $21,064 per student. The district has an equity score of 94/100, ranking #1 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Lighthouse Academy?
Lighthouse Academy students are 48.0% African American, 31.3% White, 11.3% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% Asian, averaged across 7 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Lighthouse Academy?
Lighthouse Academy has an equity score of 94/100, ranking #1 out of 707 districts in Michigan.