Enrollment
37
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Wayland, MI
Career Connections Academy
Federal NCES profile for Career Connections Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 263555008315
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 85
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Career Connections Academy earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Michigan schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Michigan schools.
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 37:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 62.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 37
- students enrolled
Career Connections Academy has class sizes larger than 98% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Wayland Union Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 263555008315 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
37:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+111% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.5%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Career Connections Academy compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Career Connections Academy
Career Connections Academy is a higher-need, small high school in Wayland, Michigan, enrolling 37 students.
Class loads run heavy: 37:1 is larger than about 98% of Michigan schools and 111% above the 17.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 62.5% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of Michigan schools, with 37 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 81 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #35.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 74 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Discipline events run high: 13 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 37 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Wayland Union Schools also operates Wayland High School (800 students) and Wayland Union Middle School (611 students) alongside Career Connections Academy.
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 Career Connections Academy compares
Career Connections Academy on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 37:1 | ▲ 111% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.5% | ▲ 15% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 37 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
37:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
37
Bigger than 4% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
37:1
students per teacher
- 111% above state mean
Top 98% in Michigan - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$12,682
per pupil, district-wide
- below Michigan avg of $13,507
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 35.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
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
White 94.6%
African American 2.7%
Hispanic or Latino 2.7%
Largest group: White at 94.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.4, Career Connections Academy is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wayland Union Schools, which includes Career Connections Academy.
$12,682
Per student
-6%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.3%
State 57.5%
Federal 11.2%
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 Career Connections Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayland High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wayland Union Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pine Street Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Dorr School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bessie B Baker School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Career Connections Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 800
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 611
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 413
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 311
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 280
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
Similar high 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.
Similar enrollment (~37 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Career Connections Academy's federal record.
- Compare Career Connections Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Wayland Union Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Career Connections Academy
How many students attend Career Connections Academy?
Career Connections Academy has 37 students enrolled. It is a high school in Wayland, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Career Connections Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Career Connections Academy is 37:1, which is 111% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 136% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Career Connections Academy?
62.5% of students at Career Connections Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Career Connections Academy?
The largest demographic group at Career Connections Academy is White at 94.6% of enrollment, in Wayland, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Career Connections Academy?
Career Connections Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Career Connections Academy a good school?
Career Connections Academy earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% 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 Wayland Union Schools?
Besides Career Connections Academy, Wayland Union Schools also operates Wayland High School (800 students), Wayland Union Middle School (611 students), and Pine Street Elementary (413 students). See the Wayland Union Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.