Enrollment
59
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 260483007861
Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center — Benton Harbor, MI
Federal NCES profile for Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 10/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 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: Benton Harbor Area 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)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
86:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+373% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
94.2%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+73% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center 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
Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center reports 59 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 1.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 86:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 373% 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 441% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 94.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 73% above the Michigan average and 82% above the national baseline. 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 Benton Harbor Area Schools spends $17,315 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.8% from local sources (property taxes), 35.5% from the state, and 29.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center 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 | 86:1 | ▲ 373% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 94.2% | ▲ 73% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 59 | top 9% | — | — |
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
94.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 73% 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
86:1
students per teacher
— 373% 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
$17,315
per pupil, district-wide
— above Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 59 Top 9% in Michigan — larger than 91% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 1.0
Students per teacher 86:1 +373% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 94.2% +73% vs state
NCES ID 260483007861
Student demographics
African American 84.7%
White 5.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 5.1%
Largest group: African American at 84.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Benton Harbor Area Schools, which includes Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center.
$17,315
Per student
+9%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.8%
State 35.5%
Federal 29.7%
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
- 469
- Students per teacher
- 35.4:1
- Enrollment
- 240
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Enrollment
- 229
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 150
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 80
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
Similar other schools in Benton Harbor
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Benton Harbor Charter School Academy
Standard public school
418 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Countryside Academy Middlehigh School
Standard public school
386 students 16:1 students per teacher
Countryside Academy Elementary
Standard public school
384 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Riverside School
Standard public school
72 students 12.2:1 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 Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center
How many students attend Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center?
Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center has 59 students enrolled. It is a other school in BENTON HARBOR, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center is 86:1, which is 373% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 441% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center?
94.2% of students at Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center?
The largest demographic group at Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center is African American at 84.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in BENTON HARBOR, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center?
Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center has a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.