Other / mixed grade configuration · Detroit, MI

Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts

Federal NCES profile for Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 13/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 260110301676
0/100100/10013/100
👥 S:T ratio
21
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts earns 13/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Michigan schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Michigan schools.

#67 of 75
schools in Detroit · Resource Index
13
Resource Index · Lower
19.8:1
large classes for Michigan
92.4%
free-lunch eligible

Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts has class sizes larger than 79% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts ranks #67 of 75 schools in Detroit, MI.

Enrollment

754

Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

38.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

19.8:1

vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg

+13% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

92.4%

vs 54.3% Michigan avg

+70% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts compares with Michigan and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts

Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts is a high-poverty, large combined-grade school in Detroit, Michigan, enrolling 754 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need is high: 92.4% of students qualify for free meals, 70% above the Michigan average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Michigan, bigger than 90% of state schools at 754 students.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 97% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 165 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #137, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is predominantly African American (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 754 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 87.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Detroit Public Schools Community District spends $21,771 per pupil, 61% above the Michigan average, a better-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 19.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Detroit's public schools, it stands alongside Earhart Elementarymiddle School (1,002 students): Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.8:1 vs 20.4:1).

Detroit Public Schools Community District also operates Cass Technical High School (2,493 students) and Western International High School (1,959 students) alongside Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts compares

Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Michigan Michigan avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 19.8:1 ▲ 13% 17.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 92.4% ▲ 70% 54.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 754 top 10% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

19.8:1
Leaner classes than 17% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
754
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
92.4%
free-lunch eligible - 70% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.8:1
students per teacher - 13% above state mean
Top 79% in Michigan - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
87.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$21,771
per pupil, district-wide - above Michigan avg of $13,507
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 754 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 61 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

African American 97.1%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
White 0.7%
Two or More 0.7%
Asian 0.3%

Largest group: African American at 97.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 5.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 5.7, Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Detroit Public Schools Community District, which includes Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts.

$21,771
Per student
+61%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
+31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.

How Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Cass Technical High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Western International High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Renaissance High School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Earhart Elementarymiddle School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Martin Luther King Jr Senior High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Detroit Public Schools Community District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Detroit

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Michigan, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts

How many students attend Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts?

Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts has 754 students enrolled. It is a public school in Detroit, MI.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts?

The student-teacher ratio at Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts is 19.8:1, which is 13% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 26% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts?

92.4% of students at Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts?

The largest demographic group at Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts is African American at 97.1% of enrollment, in Detroit, MI.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts?

Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts has a Resource Investment Index of 13/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts rank among schools in Detroit?

By Resource Investment Index, Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts ranks #67 of 75 schools in Detroit, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Detroit on the city page.

Is Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts a good school?

Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts earns 13/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Michigan schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Michigan schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Detroit Public Schools Community District?

Besides Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts, Detroit Public Schools Community District also operates Cass Technical High School (2,493 students), Western International High School (1,959 students), and Renaissance High School (1,197 students). See the Detroit Public Schools Community District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

View saved

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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.