Enrollment
486
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 260097408187 Charter school
Detroit Leadership Academy K8 — Detroit, MI
Federal NCES profile for Detroit Leadership Academy K8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 12/100.
👥 Class size 5
🌟 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: Detroit Leadership 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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.8:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.0%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+77% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Detroit Leadership Academy K8 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
Detroit Leadership Academy K8 reports 486 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 31% 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 50% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 96.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 77% above the Michigan average and 85% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 72.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Detroit Leadership Academy spends $12,672 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 9.7% from local sources (property taxes), 68.7% from the state, and 21.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 12/100 (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 Detroit Leadership Academy K8 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 | 23.8:1 | ▲ 31% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.0% | ▲ 77% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 486 | top 73% | — | — |
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
96.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 77% 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
23.8:1
students per teacher
— 31% 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
72.0%
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
$12,672
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
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 486 Top 73% in Michigan — larger than 27% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 23.8:1 +31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 96.0% +77% vs state
NCES ID 260097408187
Student demographics
African American 98.6%
Two or More 1.0%
White 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 98.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 72.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Detroit Leadership Academy, which includes Detroit Leadership Academy K8.
$12,672
Per student
-20%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 9.7%
State 68.7%
Federal 21.5%
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
- 271
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
Similar other schools in Detroit
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Earhart Elementarymiddle School
Standard public school
1,002 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Munger Elementarymiddle School
Standard public school
954 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Mackenzie Elementarymiddle School
Standard public school
876 students 20.7:1 students per teacher
University Preparatory Art Design Middlehigh
Standard public school
855 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Davison Elementarymiddle School
Standard public school
765 students 18:1 students per teacher
Hope of Detroit Academy Middlehigh
Standard public school
582 students 19:1 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 Detroit Leadership Academy K8
How many students attend Detroit Leadership Academy K8?
Detroit Leadership Academy K8 has 486 students enrolled. It is a other school in Detroit, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Detroit Leadership Academy K8?
The student-teacher ratio at Detroit Leadership Academy K8 is 23.8:1, which is 31% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 50% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Detroit Leadership Academy K8?
96.0% of students at Detroit Leadership Academy K8 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Detroit Leadership Academy K8?
The largest demographic group at Detroit Leadership Academy K8 is African American at 98.6%. The school serves a student body in Detroit, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Detroit Leadership Academy K8?
Detroit Leadership Academy K8 has a Resource Investment Index of 12/100 (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.