Enrollment
199
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 263597008491
Academy West Alternative Education — Flint, MI
Federal NCES profile for Academy West Alternative Education, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 23/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Westwood Heights Schools · Michigan
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
75.1:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+313% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
88.4%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Academy West Alternative Education compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Academy West Alternative Education reports 199 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 8.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 75.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 313% above the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 372% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 88.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 63% above the Michigan average and 71% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 199 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Westwood Heights Schools spends $14,161 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 12.4% from local sources (property taxes), 69.0% from the state, and 18.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Academy West Alternative Education compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Michigan state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 75.1:1 | ▲ 313% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.4% | ▲ 63% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 199 | top 25% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
88.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 63% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
75.1:1
students per teacher
— 313% above state mean
Top 99% in Michigan — lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
100.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,161
per pupil, district-wide
— below Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 199 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 199 Top 25% in Michigan — larger than 75% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 8.0
Students per teacher 75.1:1 +313% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 88.4% +63% vs state
NCES ID 263597008491
Student demographics
African American 86.9%
White 6.0%
Two or More 5.5%
Hispanic or Latino 1.5%
Largest group: African American at 86.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 199:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Westwood Heights Schools, which includes Academy West Alternative Education.
$14,161
Per student
-11%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 12.4%
State 69.0%
Federal 18.6%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 397
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 304
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 154
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 131
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
Similar other schools in Flint
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
The New Standard Academy
Standard public school
859 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Northridge Academy
Standard public school
263 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Richfield Public School Academy Early Learning Center Pk2
Standard public school
216 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
Brownell Stem Academy
Standard public school
160 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
Ca Alternative Edatlantis
Alternative education program
110 students 28.5:1 students per teacher
Way Academy Flint Flint Campus
Alternative education program
95 students 30.7:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Academy West Alternative Education
How many students attend Academy West Alternative Education?
Academy West Alternative Education has 199 students enrolled. It is a other school in Flint, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Academy West Alternative Education?
The student-teacher ratio at Academy West Alternative Education is 75.1:1, which is 313% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 372% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Academy West Alternative Education?
88.4% of students at Academy West Alternative Education are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Academy West Alternative Education?
The largest demographic group at Academy West Alternative Education is African American at 86.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Flint, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Academy West Alternative Education?
Academy West Alternative Education has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.