Enrollment
92
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 260110301298
Blackwell Institute — Detroit, MI
Federal NCES profile for Blackwell Institute, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 82
📋 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: Detroit Public Schools Community District · 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)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
88.7%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Blackwell Institute 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
Blackwell Institute reports 92 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 13.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% below the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 88.7% 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 92 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 Detroit Public Schools Community District spends $22,228 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 39.1% from local sources (property taxes), 41.7% from the state, and 19.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Blackwell Institute 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 | 16.4:1 | ▼ 10% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.7% | ▲ 63% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 92 | top 13% | — | — |
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
88.7%
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
16.4:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 43% in Michigan — lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
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
$22,228
per pupil, district-wide
— above Michigan avg of $15,842
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 92 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 92 Top 13% in Michigan — larger than 87% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 13.0
Students per teacher 16.4:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 88.7% +63% vs state
NCES ID 260110301298
Student demographics
African American 96.7%
Hispanic or Latino 3.3%
Largest group: African American at 96.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 92:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Detroit Public Schools Community District, which includes Blackwell Institute.
$22,228
Per student
+40%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
+14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 39.1%
State 41.7%
Federal 19.1%
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
- 2,493
- Students per teacher
- 24.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,959
- Students per teacher
- 25.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,197
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,002
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 976
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Detroit
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Oakland International Academy Middle
Standard public school
1,034 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Detroit Merit Charter Academy
Standard public school
719 students 18:1 students per teacher
Detroit Premier Academy
Standard public school
706 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences
Standard public school
694 students 35.3:1 students per teacher
Mary Mcleod Bethune Elementarymiddle School
Standard public school
692 students 16:1 students per teacher
Detroit Enterprise Academy
Standard public school
686 students 18.2:1 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 Blackwell Institute
How many students attend Blackwell Institute?
Blackwell Institute has 92 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in DETROIT, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Blackwell Institute?
The student-teacher ratio at Blackwell Institute is 16.4:1, which is 10% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Blackwell Institute?
88.7% of students at Blackwell Institute are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Blackwell Institute?
The largest demographic group at Blackwell Institute is African American at 96.7%. The school serves a student body in DETROIT, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Blackwell Institute?
Blackwell Institute has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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.