Enrollment
2,493
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 260110304669
Cass Technical High School — Detroit, MI
Federal NCES profile for Cass Technical High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 24/100.
👥 Class size 3
📚 AP courses 45
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 6
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)
99.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.2:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.6%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cass Technical High School 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
Cass Technical High School reports 2,493 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 99.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 24.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 33% 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 52% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 60.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 12% above the Michigan average and 17% above the national baseline. The school offers 9 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 312 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 37.7% 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 24/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Cass Technical High School 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 | 24.2:1 | ▲ 33% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.6% | ▲ 12% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,493 | top 100% | — | — |
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
60.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 12% 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
24.2:1
students per teacher
— 33% above state mean
Top 93% in Michigan — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
37.7%
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
Counselors8.0 FTE
Per 312 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
35
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 2,493 Top 100% in Michigan — larger than 0% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 99.0
Students per teacher 24.2:1 +33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 60.6% +12% vs state
NCES ID 260110304669
Student demographics
African American 73.4%
Hispanic or Latino 14.2%
Asian 9.2%
White 2.1%
Two or More 1.2%
Largest group: African American at 73.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 9
Counselors (FTE) 8.0
Students per counselor 312:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 37.7%
In-school suspensions 35
Out-of-school suspensions 22
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Detroit Public Schools Community District, which includes Cass Technical High School.
$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
- 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
- Enrollment
- 954
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
Similar high schools in Detroit
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Western International High School
Standard public school
1,959 students 25.9:1 students per teacher
Renaissance High School
Standard public school
1,197 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Martin Luther King Jr Senior High School
Standard public school
976 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
Mumford High School
Standard public school
850 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Cesar Chavez High School
Standard public school
730 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Lincolnking Adams Young School Grove Campus
Standard public school
660 students 28.4:1 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 Cass Technical High School
How many students attend Cass Technical High School?
Cass Technical High School has 2,493 students enrolled. It is a high school in DETROIT, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cass Technical High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cass Technical High School is 24.2:1, which is 33% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 52% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cass Technical High School?
60.6% of students at Cass Technical High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cass Technical High School?
The largest demographic group at Cass Technical High School is African American at 73.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in DETROIT, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cass Technical High School?
Cass Technical High School has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.