Pathways Academy

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.

Detroit, Michigan - 1 schools

At $19,143 per pupil, Pathways Academy ranks #69 of 812 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

119
Total Enrollment
1
Schools
$19,143
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Pathways Academy operates 1 public schools serving 119 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined 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 Wayne County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $19,143 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 82 of 812 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending. See how Michigan compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 7.0% local, 80.4% state, and 12.6% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles.

a 140:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 79.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 97.1% African American, 1.4% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% White across the district's schools.

Its largest campus is Pathways Academy, enrolling 140 students (100% of the district's total enrollment).

Enrollment across the district's NCES-reporting campuses grew 33.6% between 2022-23 and 2023-24 (119 to 159 students), while the student-teacher ratio widened by 10.0 students per teacher, per the NCES Common Core of Data annual universe files.

Of the district's $2,407,000 in reported FY2023 expenditures, 23.6% went to instruction, 71.1% to support services, and 2.1% to capital outlay, support-services-heavy relative to typical districts, reflecting spending on transportation, administration, or student services. Figures come from the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey's function-level breakdown, not the aggregate per-pupil figure above.

Pathways Academy accounts for 100.0% of all Pathways Academy student enrollment

That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Pathways Academy a distant remainder — means Pathways Academy-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: combined. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Because it contains a majority of the affected population, enrollment-weighted aggregates will sit closer to this entity's reported fields than to those of smaller peers; an unweighted entity count answers a different question.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Pathways Academy reports 99.2% free-lunch eligibility

The reported share is above 87.5%, so economic need is widespread across the measured student population. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Pathways Academy student-counselor ratio is 140:1 — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Pathways Academy chronic absenteeism rate is 79.3% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

12.6%
Federal
80.4%
State
7.0%
Local

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 1 schools in Pathways Academy.

White 0.7%
Hispanic or Latino 1.4%
African American 97.1%
Other 0.7%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Programs & Resources

140:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
79.3%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Pathways Academy

School Enrollment
Pathways Academy
Charter
140

How Pathways Academy Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Michigan districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Faxon Academy Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Alternative Educational Academy of Ogemaw County Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
River Heights Academy Similar size No spending data Similar funding mix
Saginaw Covenant Academy Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Kensington Woods Schools Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Pathways Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Michigan

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Detroit Public Schools Community District
48,548 students · 107 schools · $22,002/pupil
Compare vs Pathways Academy →
Utica Community Schools
25,744 students · 38 schools · $14,295/pupil
Compare vs Pathways Academy →
Dearborn City School District
20,128 students · 37 schools · $18,204/pupil
Compare vs Pathways Academy →
Ann Arbor Public Schools
17,026 students · 32 schools · $19,271/pupil
Compare vs Pathways Academy →
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools
16,294 students · 25 schools · $14,974/pupil
Compare vs Pathways Academy →

Nationwide districts with similar enrollment or spending

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.

Compare Pathways Academy

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Detroit Public Schools Community District →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Pathways Academy?

Pathways Academy has 1 school, including 1 combined. Total enrollment is 119 students.

How much does Pathways Academy spend per student?

Pathways Academy spends $19,143 per student.

What is the demographic composition of Pathways Academy?

Pathways Academy students are 97.1% African American, 1.4% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% White, averaged across 1 school. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.