Other / mixed grade configuration · Detroit, MI

Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science

Federal NCES profile for Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 16/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 260110301609
0/100100/10016/100
👥 S:T ratio
18
🌟 Gifted program
30
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science earns 16/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Michigan schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Michigan schools.

#58 of 75
schools in Detroit · Resource Index
16
Resource Index · Lower
20.4:1
large classes for Michigan
88.8%
free-lunch eligible

Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science has class sizes larger than 83% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science ranks #58 of 75 schools in Detroit, MI.

Enrollment

692

Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

34.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

20.4:1

vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg

+17% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

88.8%

vs 54.3% Michigan avg

+64% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science 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 Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science

Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science is a high-poverty, large combined-grade school in Detroit, Michigan, enrolling 692 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 20.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need is high: 88.8% of students qualify for free meals, 64% above the Michigan average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

Enrollment of 692 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 92% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Against 223 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #155.

Its student body is predominantly African American (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 51.2% 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): Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.4:1 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 Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science.

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 Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science compares

Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Michigan Michigan avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 20.4:1 ▲ 17% 17.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 88.8% ▲ 64% 54.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 692 top 13% - -

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

20.4:1
Leaner classes than 15% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
692
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
88.8%
free-lunch eligible - 64% 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
20.4:1
students per teacher - 17% above state mean
Top 83% in Michigan - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
51.2%
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
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

  • 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 97.7%
Hispanic or Latino 1.6%
Two or More 0.6%
White 0.1%

Largest group: African American at 97.7% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 4.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 4.5, Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science 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 Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science.

$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 Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science 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 Similar 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 Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science'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 Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science'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 Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science

How many students attend Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science?

Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science has 692 students enrolled. It is a public school in Detroit, MI.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science?

The student-teacher ratio at Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science is 20.4:1, which is 17% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 30% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science?

88.8% of students at Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science?

The largest demographic group at Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science is African American at 97.7% of enrollment, in Detroit, MI.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science?

Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science has a Resource Investment Index of 16/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science rank among schools in Detroit?

By Resource Investment Index, Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science ranks #58 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 Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science a good school?

Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science earns 16/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% 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 Charles Wright Academy of Arts and Science, 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.

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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.