Enrollment
759
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 260027001445 Charter school
Creative Montessori Academy — Southgate, MI
Federal NCES profile for Creative Montessori Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 15/100.
👥 Class size 16
🌟 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: Creative Montessori Academy · 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)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.9:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.7%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Creative Montessori Academy 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
Creative Montessori Academy reports 759 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 38.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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 31% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 55.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% above the Michigan average and 8% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 45.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Creative Montessori Academy spends $10,592 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 7.9% from local sources (property taxes), 73.6% from the state, and 18.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (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 Creative Montessori Academy 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 | 20.9:1 | ▲ 15% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.7% | ▲ 3% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 759 | top 90% | — | — |
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
55.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% 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
20.9:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 85% in Michigan — lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
45.8%
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
$10,592
per pupil, district-wide
— below 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
34
in-school suspensions + 79 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 759 Top 90% in Michigan — larger than 10% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 38.0
Students per teacher 20.9:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 55.7% +3% vs state
NCES ID 260027001445
Student demographics
White 38.9%
African American 31.6%
Hispanic or Latino 22.4%
Two or More 4.2%
Asian 2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 38.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 45.8%
In-school suspensions 34
Out-of-school suspensions 79
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Creative Montessori Academy, which includes Creative Montessori Academy.
$10,592
Per student
-33%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-46%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 7.9%
State 73.6%
Federal 18.4%
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.
Similar other schools in Southgate
5 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Asher School
Alternative education program
462 students 33.7:1 students per teacher
Allen Elementary School
Standard public school
359 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Grogan Elementary School
Standard public school
353 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Shelters Elementary School
Standard public school
327 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Fordline Elementary School
Standard public school
308 students 14.4:1 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 Creative Montessori Academy
How many students attend Creative Montessori Academy?
Creative Montessori Academy has 759 students enrolled. It is a other school in SOUTHGATE, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Creative Montessori Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Creative Montessori Academy is 20.9:1, which is 15% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 31% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Creative Montessori Academy?
55.7% of students at Creative Montessori Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Creative Montessori Academy?
The largest demographic group at Creative Montessori Academy is White at 38.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in SOUTHGATE, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Creative Montessori Academy?
Creative Montessori Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (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.